A Midnight Dreary
by Egoperceptum
Summary: Emma's sick of being the Savior everyone expects her to be. She needs a vacation somewhere no one will think to look for her. Perhaps the mayoral manor will suffice? SwanQueen with a brief cameo by a very naughty Evil Queen.
1. Chapter 1

Emma was sick and tired of being sick and tired. She plucked at the corner of the to-go bag from Granny's with a wrinkle of her nose. Not even a greasy hamburger could tempt her at the moment. Pushing back from the desk, she stood, stretched her long legs and went to the window as she cast a guilty look back to the alarming mountain of paperwork on her desk.

The past month had been nothing short of torture. Sharing Henry with every god-forsaken person in town it felt like. She understood her parents' need to see their grandson; hell, she even had very little problem with Regina and Henry's time spent together as it seemed to be doing the kid wonders to reconnect with his reforming mother. Neal and Tamara on the other hand, were an entirely different story. _The happy couple, so together, so _right. She thought in frustration as her hand slipped up to tuck an errant strand of hair behind her ear.

Not that she resented Neal for loving Henry or finding romance himself; she was completely over that nonsense. However, his fiancé was a different matter. Sweet, charming, and all smiles she had quickly won over the inhabitants of Storybrook; and Henry. But Emma sensed something boiling under that gorgeous façade of hers. The woman smelled like trouble; and Emma knew that smell a mile away. She heard heels clicking in the hallway and sighed, _Speaking of trouble._

"Sheriff Swan." Came the cool voice behind her. The blonde turned to face the brunette.

"Madam Mayor." The dark woman's lip curled. It was interesting to her that though the titles were different; the Sheriff pronounced the words as one would _Your Majesty_.

"I'm here to pick up Henry." She announced and looked around as though he were going to fold out of the beat up filing cabinet in the corner. "Where is he?"

"With Neal."

An irked eyebrow raised. "I was under the impression that I was to pick him up for dinner at 5:00 pm," The woman checked her shiny watch, "It is now 5:01." She said unnecessarily.

"I know. He was supposed to drop him by twenty minutes ago. I haven't heard from them."

"You did not think to pick up the phone?"

"I haven't been able to contact him."

"And you are not worried?"

"Not really." Her answer caused the Mayor to exhale sharply. "Someone would have called if something had happened; Neal is hardly ever on time. It would not surprise me if he simply lost track of it." She shrugged her shoulders at the woman who found it infuriatingly similar to her son's own gesture.

"I find it strikingly coincidental that every time I come to pick him up from you, he is late."

"Yeah, well I do too."

"Perhaps you should speak to your ex-boyfriend about it."

"Perhaps you should keep your nose out of my business, Mayor." She replied evenly and met her cold dark eyes with her own green stare. "I can't control Neal any more than I can control you."

"Oh, but you do try to control me don't you, Sheriff?" Regina stepped closer to her, eyes flashing dangerously. "These little _sessions_ with the cricket, scheduling time with Henry, and those _dreadful_ town meetings."

"You don't have to attend."

"And miss another one of Charming's speeches about how love conquers all?" She gave a humorless laugh, "I think not."

"Look, I get that you're frustrated, I hardly see Henry at all-"

"Oh but at least Henry lives with you now, doesn't he?" She took a step neared and Emma held her ground. She knew this was inevitable; the woman had been far too cordial than was possible for Regina Mills. "He eats breakfast with you, he doesn't have to _avoid _certain people or places when he's with you, does he?" Emma was on the verge of pointing out that technically that wasn't her fault at all. But she didn't get the chance because the cell on her hip rang causing both women to look down.

"It's Neal." Emma looked at the name and answered. "Neal, where the hell have you been?"

"Sorry, Em." She winced at the nickname and the flicker of annoyance was not lost on the Mayor who was watching her closely. She drew nearer to hear the conversation and Emma narrowed her eyes and moved away. "We lost track of time."

"Obviously, get here as soon as you can. The Mayor is here to collect him."

"Oooh, what's she wearing today?" Emma rolled his eyes. He found Regina rather attractive and often joked with Emma about it; when Tamara wasn't around.

"So I take it that Tamara didn't go with you today?"

"Nope, she was pretty sick today; it was just me and Henry." Emma narrowed her eyes.

_Sick was she? Must have become overcome with illness after I saw her laughing today with Mendelson in the diner._ "Right, well get him here pronto. The Mayor doesn't like to be kept waiting and neither do I."

"Alright, Moms." He said mockingly and hung up.

Emma turned to find Regina right behind her; she took a large step back as the woman hovered menacingly. "Why is your ex-boyfriend concerned with my attire?"

"He just thinks you're hot is all." Emma looked down at her phone, arbitrarily hitting buttons to avoid looking at the sneering face..

"Oh, that's all is it? Wouldn't have picked myself for his type."

Emma looked up and saw a quick flash of humor. _Was that a _joke_?_ She wondered and decided that a non-committal "Mmm." Was the best answer.

"What did he mean by _Moms_?"

Emma laughed nervously. _Damn, why had she not seen the Evil Queen bit before?_ "Another joke, about Henry having…more than one mother." Emma decided the phrase _two moms_ would have been a bit much for the humorless woman before her.

"And now he has three." Regina hissed more to herself than anything.

"Um, no." Emma said with solidarity. "He doesn't." She strode around the brunette who looked curiously after her and sat down at her desk.

"Don't like the fiancé, do you, dear?"

"She's ok."

"Jealous?" Regina wore a strange expression and Emma glanced up to see something undefined floating in her eyes.

_No doubt trying to figure out how she can use this against me._ "Nope, the only good thing that came from Neal and I was that I had Henry and learned a lesson." She dismissed with genuine neutrality toward Henry's father. "I can't fault him for wanting a slice of Henry's time, the kid's awesome." Regina snorted at the compliment of her son.

"But?"

"But, nothing, Mayor." She said.

"Sheriff Swan, you and I have known each other far too long for you to lie to me." The Mayor leaned down and Emma caught a sniff of the enticing scent around her. _Yep, that's what trouble smells like: apples, spice, and darkness. _She thought to herself before looking up at the woman hovering over her.

"I'm not lying. I just find, Tamara to be…" She narrowed her eyes.

"Fake." Regina supplied.

"Yes, that."

"Yes, I know a manipulating woman when I see one; she has all the signs." Emma wondered vaguely if the sighs included driving an expensive car, wearing power suits, and making backhanded compliments. Because if they did, Tamara and Regina had a lot in common. But she somehow found Regina more transparent, despite her wickedness. "What time did he say they would be here?" The brunette asked, shaking Emma out of her comparison.

"Should be about ten more minutes, you can take a chair if you like." She gestured to the seat opposite her desk.

The Mayor made a show of wiping it down before sitting and watching Emma with an unusual expression of reflection upon her face. After a few minutes of feeling the Mayor's dark eyes on her she sighed and looked up. "Can I help you?"

"Do I unnerve you?"

"No, I usually have a wicked witch watching me while I work, really turns me on, ya know?"

"I wouldn't presume to know what, _turns you on_, Miss Swan." The inflection Regina put on the words made them sound so much worse than they had coming from Emma's mouth. The blonde cringed slightly.

"Right, so stop staring at me." She went back to writing.

"I was just curious." The Mayor said causing Emma to sigh quietly and look up at her once again. "How your ex-boyfriend can _presume_ to find me attractive, impregnate you, and plan to wed Tamara. It's quite bizarre don't you think?"

"I try not to think about what men think."

"Quite right, dear. They make no sense. Now Tamara and myself…" Regina cocked her head thoughtfully and Emma had a sneaking suspicion there was going to be a jibe for her in there somewhere, "Are more similar. Both strong, powerful, good taste in clothing and style." She counted off and Emma waited, knowing what was coming next. "But you, dear, simply do not fall into any of those categories." There it was; the inevitable critique.

"You know what I find _bizarre_, Mayor?" Emma stood and placed her hands on her desk, staring down the insolent woman. "I find it bizarre that as little as you try to convince everyone that you think of me, I seem to be the person you talk the most about." She growled and Regina stiffened then bristled in anger as she too stood and leaned into the desk so that their faces were barely inches apart. Heat and anger fluctuated between them.

"Make no mistake, _Sheriff_. That were it not for Henry and the risk of making you a martyr, you wouldn't be around for anyone to think about."

Emma opened her mouth to retort angrily when the sound of small sneakers caused them both to jump back and twirl to the door. Henry came bounding in with his usual amount of energy.

"Hey, Mom." He said.

"Hey." The women answered in unison and then glared at each other. The boy smiled at the reaction.

"Ready to go?" Regina walked to him and stroked his hair.

"Let me say bye to, Emma." He said and flung his arms around his other mother.

"Hey, kid. See you later?"

"Duh, I live with you." He answered and she ruffled his hair as Regina stiffened at the casualty of his tone. He walked back over to Regina and took her hand. She smiled beautifully down at him and patted his hair down again from where Emma had mussed it. They walked out together but not before Regina could cast the blonde a withering glance that would have left lesser mortals shaking.

Emma just shrugged to the empty room and pulled the to-go back to her; forcing herself to eat angrily. _Where did Regina get off threatening her like that?_ She shoved more burger into her mouth. Regina Mills was the most infuriating woman that she had ever met. She was quick, sharp, and gorgeous and she knew it. She had a mean curveball with her fists of fire and a brutal right jab as the blonde remembered. She wore expensive material like it was her right and probably ate small kittens for breakfast. Moody, unpredictable and remorseless; that was Regina Mills. _Well, not entirely remorseless as I weaseled out of Archie the other day_. She added as an afterthought to her trail of memories.

"Sheriff," the balding man sweated. "You know I can't-"

"I know, but is she giving you a hard time, Arch?" Emma asked, genuinely concerned.

"I won't deny that Regina is a…willful woman."

"That's putting it mildly, I was thinking stubborn as an ass. But your word sounds better." She smiled.

"Yes, well she's coming around; she's very interesting from a psychologist's point of view." He admitted.

"How so?"

"Emma, I can't-"

"I know, I'm sorry." Emma waved a hand. "I just want to know that she's not bullying you; because that's not ok. I would put a stop to it."

"She bullies everyone, Emma. That's her shtick; how she gets things done. But she's quickly realizing that might not be the best way." He reddened. "But I shouldn't have said that."

Emma ran two fingers across her lips as if zipping them and then smiled. "Seriously, if she becomes too much of a pain though, let me know." She said and the man leaned across to pat her hand.

"You always seem to take care of everyone, don't you Emma? When was the last time you had a break from being the Savior?"

_Um, let's see, the day before my 28__th__ birthday._ She thought sarcastically but instead pulled away from him and stood. "Just doing my job, right?" She grinned and then bid him a good afternoon.

As the memories came back to Emma now, she was jolted back into her train of thought before Regina had clicked into and possessed her office. _When _was_ the last time I had a break?_ She questioned herself. It seemed that since Henry had showed up on her doorstep, she had been chasing around after everyone trying to make them behave; make them be _good._ Emma was tired of it. She shook her head, knowing her grumbling was useless and she rubbed her eyes, picked up her pen, and got back to work.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma knocked on the door with the numbers 108. She heard the familiar clicking of heels and the door swung open to reveal a scowling face. "You are an hour late."

"I know, I felt bad that Neal kept Henry an extra hour today and so I wanted you to be able to make up that time with the kid."

Regina's face softened somewhat. She hated to admit that this meant a great deal to her; Emma had sacrificed an hour of her own coveted time with Henry so that she, Regina, could make up the time she was cheated. It seemed that the blonde was always doing that; cutting into her own budget or energy for the good of everyone else…even the woman that did everything possible to get under her skin.

"Come in, Miss Swan; it's cold." The blonde stepped gratefully into the warm house and sniffed hopefully. How did it always manage to smell so damn _nice_ in here? No dirty tennis shoes laying by the door, no upturned umbrella outside the closet. There was nothing out of place in Regina's house and it made Emma want to break something. "I just put Henry to bed, he has school in the morning."

"Oh, right, well I guess I should have called about the difference-"

"You should have, though Henry insisted that…"

"What?"

"Henry seemed to think that you were okaying him to spend the night."

"Smart kid."

"Yes, well…you can see that I was disinclined to believe that." Emma certainly could. "Would you like a drink, Miss Swan?"

"Have any whiskey?"

Regina smiled briefly and led her into the sitting room before taking a snifter. "Neat or on the rocks."

"Whatever."

The mayor stifled the urge to smile. She poured it neat and handed the glass to Emma who was surprised the woman had guessed her preference. The shock must have registered in her face because Regina commented on it. "I assumed you didn't want water in your liquor; you are so straightforward in every other manner."

"Right." Emma said, ungracefully, trying to find the punchline. "Thanks." She sat down on the sofa and Regina sat on the other end with her own glass.

The blonde stared into the fire vacantly until the rustle of the Mayor's pencil skirt caught her attention. "Something on your mind, dear?"

Emma really didn't want to confide anything in Regina, however, she knew if anyone would know a master manipulator; it would be the Mayor. "Neal said something on the phone today that struck me as odd."

"You mean other than asking about my clothing?"

"That's not weird, you know the men in town can't keep their eyes off your…" Emma stopped herself and looked down to find that she had already drained her glass. Regina smiled and stood to replace it with another one.

"My what?" The Mayor's voice deepened somewhat.

"Your high heels." She finished with a deep breath and took a sip of the warming, liquid amber in the glass.

"Naturally. You were saying, about Neal?"

"He mentioned that Tamara was sick today."

"She was in the diner with our snooping friend, Greg actually."

"I know, don't you find that suspicious?"

Regina exhaled air through her nose and considered this. "It is actually, somewhat peculiar that she would lie about being sick to meet with Mendelson in a diner full of people. Perhaps, they had a spat and Neal was lying."

"Nope, I would know if he were lying."

"Then she wanted to get caught." Regina said quietly and cast a glance at the woman beside her. Not for the first time, she appreciated Emma's observational skills. She looked around at the dark house and the flickering light of the fire and found that it was almost…_cozy_ to sit and have an adult discussion. Shaking the thoughts aside, she took Emma's empty glass from her hand and stood.

The liquor was making her warm and relaxed and she watched Regina's back as she poured; allowing her eyes to flicker up and down her body. Not for the first time, she was struck with how attractive the Mayor actually was. Neal found her so, as did most the men in town. When Regina Mills bent over for anything, they had trouble not staring. Emma's eyes flickered down to the woman's perfect ass. _God, I could bounce a quarter off that thing._ She thought, then corrected herself; _No, not I. We're mortal enemies, remember?_ She tore her eyes away, looked into the fire, and sighed.

Regina cast a glance over her shoulder at the blonde. For a second, the brunette could have sworn the woman was staring a hole in her back. _Well, not my back exactly_, she thought with a smirk. It was nice to know that the usually distant Sheriff appreciated the view. She sat back down, a bit closer to Emma this time and slipped off her heels. They clunked to the floor as she tucked her feet up under her; being sure to not allow her skirt to ride up.

Emma looked down into her glass. _Is this my second or third…or fourth?_ She found that she didn't care. Like the rest of the expensive things in Regina's house, her liquor was no exception. "She was sending me a message."

"Sorry, dear?" Regina had been thinking about how to exploit the Sheriff's attraction to her and had been absently running her fingers across her lips.

"Tamara. A diner full of people. She knew I would talk to Neal, knew that I would know that she didn't go with him and Henry. She was sending me a message."

"For what reason?"

"I have no idea." Emma shrugged and tossed more liquor into her mouth she turned to see an odd look on Regina's face. "What?"

"Nothing, you just…look like Henry when you do that."

"What?"

"Shrug…" She said quietly, and then for tradition's sake, threw in an insult. "I suppose it's because you often act like an 11 year old."

Emma shrugged again and smirked and Regina found that she had to fake an annoyed look. "Maybe. Or maybe it's because I birthed him and he looks like me."

"Yes, well, he can't help that, dear."

"He looks kinda like you too, actually." Emma looked at her seriously and Regina gave an incredulous look. "No, really. He makes faces like yours, especially that _Duh_ face of his."

"I don't say _duh._"

"No, but you definitely make the face." Emma stretched out her long legs, leaning back into the soft material of the couch, slightly encroaching on Regina's space; but the blonde didn't notice, she was far too content in in the liquor and the warmth.

"So what are you going to do about Tamara?"

"Do? There's nothing to do. Just wait until I can figure out what she's on about." Emma said and picked at her nails.

"You don't think you should try to head her off? Beat her out of the gate, so to speak?"

"Nope." She said and then looked at the thoughtful woman beside her. "And don't you get any ideas, Mayor." She said, her eyes shining with liquor. "I don't need your pyrotechnics involved."

"Miss Swan, I haven't used magic in months." She considered the woman before her and went to refill their glasses. "And I wouldn't presume to fight your battles for you. I know that you relish the challenge."

"I must." Emma said quietly thinking of the sick pleasure she took from sparing with the brunette beside her.

"What was that?" Regina turned and looked at her suspiciously.

"I said, _I do_. I'm a glutton for punishment, obviously."

"Yes, you're positively masochistic." Regina handed her another round.

"Then that makes you the sadist." Emma said darkly and she saw an actual smile lighten Regina's face. It wasn't the cryptic, sinister, wicked grin that was her customary method of flashing her teeth; it was light and playful. Emma swallowed hard as she thought, _And beautiful_.

"Oh, Miss Swan," She leaned in allowing Emma a glance down her shirt. "You have _no_ idea."

"Well, Mayor, I wouldn't _presume _to know such things." She threw the woman's words back at her from earlier in the day.

"No, my dear, you're definitely not my type."

"Well, that would be because I'm not a man." She said and laughed as she took a sip. _Are we really talking about this?_

"Do you believe that I am really that one dimensional?"

Emma nearly dropped her glass, "Wh-wh-what?"

"As articulate as ever." Regina smirked. "My dear, I wore lust and seduction like they were my own _skin_ in my kingdom and you assume that I only sleep with men." She chuckled, "Sadly, I thought you were smarter than that." She tisked. "But it seems that I was mistaken."

"I never considered it any of my business." Emma defended. "And I only ever knew of Graham."

"Yes, well perhaps you should have asked rather than assuming."

"I apologize, Mayor." Emma sat up and glared at her through her liquored haze. "Next time I think you're fucking someone I'll just knock on your door and ask you straight out; because that has worked so well in the past."

"Miss Swan, how crude." Regina wrinkled her nose at the distasteful profanity.

"That's me, crude and stubborn and lacking in taste and _not your type_. Add that nugget to the goddamn pile of my reasons to be on your shit-list." She was pissed and the liquor was making her brave; coupled with the exhaustion her body was feeling and the stress she was under and it became a magic, bitch-at-Regina-cocktail.

"Miss Swan-" Regina cringed slightly into the back of the couch at the raging woman before her.

"You take every opportunity to take pot-shots at me at every turn. You insult me in front of my son and my town; you waltz into my office like you fucking own it; own _me._ Well, I've about had enough of it; everyone needing me to be their knight in shining armor and you needing me to be your whipping boy. I'm sick and tired." Emma growled and drew nearer.

"Sheriff Swan, I think that's enough." But whether she was speaking about the liquor or the tirade, Regina wasn't sure. Regina was confused. Had they not been almost joking a few moments ago? It was not like the blonde to be moody or temperamental. The brunette briefly considered that she herself had no right to make that judgment; still it unnerved her because the normally well-balanced blonde seemed to be listing. She just stared at the blonde in amazement; the stress was finally getting to her and she couldn't help thinking how bizarre it was to see the blonde out of control and…weak.

The look of fear and apprehension (and…was that sympathy?) in Regina's face drove Emma backward. The brunette looked somewhat frightened; of her. The blonde found this funny and she began chuckling quietly before looking back at the woman regarding her curiously. "So what will it be Mayor? Assault? Verbal abuse? Disorderly drunkenness."

"I'm not sure that last one is an actual charge, dear." Regina said softly unwilling to admit how unsettled she was by the woman's verbal assault. It was almost as if Regina actually…depended on Emma's solidarity to keep herself in check.

"No, I suppose I've never booked anyone on that one exactly." Her words were beginning to slur heavily as the liquor slowed her mind; it had been a long time since she had consumed that much alcohol. She turned back to the Mayor, "Look, Regina-"

The brunette held up a hand. "Forget about it." She growled and then looked at the clock, "You're staying in my guest room tonight. I don't want you on the roads in your state."

"Aw, Mayor, don't tell me that you're worried about my safety." Regina rolled her eyes and Emma smirked as her feet stumbled a bit; swaying off balance so that the brunette placed a steadying hand on her arm.

"I'm not; I'm worried about any street signs and trees that may get in your way." She tugged her forward and led her up the stairs before leading her gently to the guest bedroom and turning.

"What no bedtime story? No kiss on the forehead?" Emma asked playfully, shucking her boots.

"Goodnight, Miss Swan." Regina turned off the light and clicked shut the door.

Emma awoke with a serious hangover. "Oh, God." She moaned and rolled over in Regina's bed. Her eyes snapped open and her head throbbed miserably at the light in the room but she sat bolt upright. _Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck!_ She thought and looked down to find herself in her in cotton boy briefs and tank top. _Oh, God! Where's my bra?_ She scanned the room, ignoring the pounding in her head and attempting to spy it tossed casually over something in Regina's spacious bedroom. She leapt away from the bed, unable to find it and gave up before scrounging around for the rest of her clothes that had obviously been discarded in hast. "Oh shit!" was her next profanity as she dressed hurriedly and stole to the ridiculous vanity in the room to check her face.

Her hair was mussed like someone had been running their fingers through it and…_Oh God! Is that a hicky? _ She brushed her fingers on the bruise on her collarbone and jumped when she heard the water turn off in the bathroom and the shower curtain rustling. She panicked and scrambled for it.

Emma rushed out of the room and down the stairs, fumbling with the door. Another slam came from upstairs and she wrenched the door open, bounding out into the blinking sun and down the porch. It was freezing; and she was barefoot.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma got to work that morning and drank two pots of coffee. When her father came in he looked at her with concern in his eyes. "Emma? You ok?"

"Oh, yeah." She mumbled.

"Hangover?" he asked.

"It's a bitch."

He stood over her desk. "Look, I know you've had a lot going on."

"James, can we not do this right now?"

"Just take the day off." He said genuinely concerned. "We've all been looking to you for answers and running to you with our problems." She looked up at him in surprise. "You've had a lot of responsibility, sweet heart. Go home, go to bed." He urged.

"You can handle everything here?"

"I did run a kingdom." He smiled wryly and the grin was infectious.

"Right, I forgot. I'll catch you later." She swung up from the desk, grabbed her coat and then turned around. "And…Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." She said and watched him beam again before heading out. Her relief was short lived however because as she made it to her car, her phone rang. "Fuck." She whispered and answered. "Sheriff Swan."

"Miss Swan."

"Madam Mayor."

"How are you feeling this morning?"

_Jesus Christ._ "Never better." She muttered.

"Then you won't mind stopping by my office today?"

"Well, actually, I'm…um…pretty busy today."

"And the paper work you have been neglecting for weeks can't wait another hour, dear?"

"Well, I-"

"Good, then come by whenever you like." The Mayor hung up.

"Fuck." Emma said once again and got into her car.

Regina sat behind her desk and smiled wickedly. If she was very much mistaken, and she didn't think that she was, the blonde was under the impression that they had slept together the previous night. Finding that she very much liked the idea of having her most formidable opponent at such a disadvantage, she decided to toy with her. They had not, of course, had sex; but Emma didn't know that and Regina found she couldn't deny the urge to needle the young woman into insanity.

She looked down into the bag at her feet and smiled. Yes, the blonde was going to be in a right state when she handed her back her boots and bra. The turquoise lace winked up at her from the canvas bag as she remembered finding it in making her bed that morning. She also grinned at the idea of Emma running barefoot from her house that morning as she had watched the Sheriff's long hair streaking out behind her in the cold and cursing to herself along the way. It was almost too delicious for words.

A knock sounded on her door and the brunette forced away her wicked grin. "Come, in." she drawled lazily. Emma stepped in and the brunette could see she was forcing herself to stay calm. The blonde squared her shoulders like a boxer and stood in front of her desk. "Sheriff, please have a seat. We have a great deal to discuss."

"Of course."

"About last night-" Regina began but Emma held up a hand.

"I wanted to apologize." She rushed.

"Miss Swan," Regina stared at her coolly. "I was merely going to bring up our conversation about Mendelson and Tamara."

Emma blinked and relaxed for half a second before her body was on high alert again. "You were?"

"Yes, I happened to meet the young lady at Granny's this morning. I had a rather _tedious_ conversation with her about the weather before we were _blissfully_ interrupted by a call on her phone. Naturally, we both looked down." She paused.

"And?"

"And, Miss Swan, the name on the caller I.D. was _Him_." She said and watched as the lights flickered in Emma's eyes.

"Him? Like _Him, _him? Like the opposite of _Her_?"

"That is usually the distinction." She said waspishly, noticing Emma's tired eyes. This was obviously not one of the blonde's better days.

"Hmm." Emma said. "That's interesting. So it's possible that they are working together…for what purpose?" Emma mused and Regina could almost see her sluggish brain trying to process the thoughts. Then she turned her sights to Regina and narrowed her eyes. "You said Mendelson looked familiar to you, Mayor."

Regina raised her chin and arched a brow as Emma's face looked triumphant; recognizing the Mayor's tell sign. "I did."

"And you know who he is, don't you?" She asked quietly.

"I do."

"Well, spill it." Emma snapped, she was not feeling up for the Mayor's games at that moment.

"Why don't you come over tonight and we'll discuss it?" The brunette said with a sultry voice as her eyes flicked up and down Emma's body. "It's a thrilling tale and I want to do it justice."

"I don't think that's such a great…idea." A muscle in her jaw ticked.

"Don't worry, dear. You drank almost all my whiskey last night. You won't have the chance to have a hangover like you do right now."

"I don't have a hangover."

"I'm sure you did this morning when you…woke up. I wouldn't know, I was already in the shower." She said slowly and watched the effect this had on Emma. "But it obviously wasn't too incapacitating as you left so quickly."

"How do you know I left in a rush? As you said, you weren't in bed." Emma said hoping that perhaps Regina had slept in the other room last night.

"Because you left behind a rather endearing sentiment of our night together." Regina reached down and pulled the turquoise bra from the bag.

Emma hissed and snatched it. "Where was it?"

"In the sheets." She smirked and watched as Emma tucked it into her jacket pocket; realizing the blonde really didn't remember _anything_ from the previous night.

"Right, well thanks for returning it."

"Of course, dear. It's not my size anyway." She said and Emma fought to try from imagining exactly what Regina's bra size was. "Oh, and neither are these." She reached into her bag and drew out the boots. Emma took them into her lap. "So, tonight, come by and we'll…" Her eyes lingered on Emma's nervous mouth. "discuss our next move." She finished.

Emma mumbled a reply and bolted from the room. Regina sat back and gloried in the blonde's frustration and humiliation. Oh she _loved_ to rile the unflappable, Sheriff Swan. She smiled and remembered waking up that morning, tangled in Emma's long limbs and hair.

She had lain with Emma on her chest and her own hand embedded in the woman's long tresses possessively. Her eyes had fluttered open for a moment as she realized that Emma's bare thigh was wrapped around her waist comfortably as her breath tickled her neck and throat. It was an incredibly intimate position to wake up in; and incredibly frightening being that it was _Emma_. Regina attempted to untangle their limbs and rise from the bed but the stubborn blonde mumbled and wrapped an arm around her as well, immobilizing her once again.

The last thing that Regina wanted was for Emma to actually awaken and find them in such an embarrassing way; especially the way that the brunette's arm was looped around her and cuddled in the soft curls at the base of her neck. She lifted the blonde gingerly and moved out from under her. Emma rolled over and tucked herself back into the covers snuggly before Regina cast one more glance at the ball of quilts on her bed that was her worst enemy. A cold shower had been in order.

When she had gotten out she heard the door slam and moved to the window to watch gleefully as the blonde scampered back to her car and sped off, the tires of the yellow bug screeching in protest on the asphalt. It had pleased Regina to no end to know that Emma thought they had actually had sex. As if Regina would have sex with Emma.

_And why not?_ A small voice in the back of her head asked. _She's definitely pretty enough, she's in great shape, and it would be such a delicious pleasure to bend such a strong woman to my will._ The voice echoed and the more sensible side of Regina argued back. _No, that is a terrible idea. What would Henry think if he found out? Snow and James and the rest of those idiots would believe I had used the love spell on the valiant Sheriff._ The thought of this saddened her deeply and she wasn't sure why.

Regina had spent the better part of the last few weeks trying to come back to a neutral standing with everyone. For the most part, her attempts were met with coldness or rage. However, there were those that understood, at least on some level, her motivations for wrecking such havoc. These people, of course, were the ones that Regina found _most_ annoying. Like the cricket for example, he had been so kind and understanding when she haltingly explained a brief synopsis of her relationship with her mother. She wanted to punch him in his soft-spoken mouth and gouge out his sympathizing eyes with her bright burgundy fingernails.

Of course, she had refrained and found a small amount of solace in sharing this with someone; anyone. Hearing it all was terrible and made it _real_ in some sense….but even Regina, the master of repression, understood that to move past something, it must be accepted. She also was surprised to find that she wanted the townspeople to act with neutrality toward her; at least for Henry's sake, or this is what she told herself.

Gone were the days that she could just allow the stares, whispers, and insults to roll of her back; her heart had been hardened against such abuse. But since Henry, her heart had opened and Regina found that she wouldn't shut it if she could; so great was her commitment to the little boy that looked so much like the woman she hated.

_Hate's a strong word._ Regina thought and then cocked her head. It certainly wasn't as if she _liked_ the woman. The blonde challenged her and infuriated her and got under her skin more quickly than any other person she had ever known. _Maybe that's it, _Regina mused, surprised at her own emotion. _Maybe I find that I can't hate her because she's the only one that does challenge me; beside Henry. _Her musing stopped abruptly and she pushed the thoughts away. She was in no way going to allow herself to compare her emotions for her son as akin to those for the blonde; that was preposterous.


	4. Chapter 4

Emma knocked nervously on the door on Mifflin Street. It opened and Regina ushered her inside. "Would you like something to drink, Miss Swan?"

"Um, no." She said immediately.

"Water, tea, coffee?"

"Oh, water is fine."

"Yes, you should hydrate; you look like you're taking a cold." Regina said and told her that she would be in the den in a moment and to make herself at home. "Though, I know you will." She said with a knowing smile and a wave of embarrassment rolled over the blonde once more.

_Oh, fuck_, she thought again and sat down on the sofa. Her day off had been spent at home trying to figure out what to do with the new development with Regina. It had been her plan to stay in bed and sleep until her meeting with the seductive woman that night; but she found herself lying in bed, staring at the rafters, and trying in vain to remember what had happened the night before.

"Miss Swan?" Regina stepped into the room, carrying with her the sultry smell that always clung about her. Emma wondered vaguely if it was some sort of brand of perfume they carried in Evil Empress shops. She took the water offered.

"Thanks."

"Of course, it's the least I can do for you agreeing to our…arrangement." She said.

"Arrangement?" Emma's heart stopped. _Please tell me I did not sign a contract._

"Yes, meeting tonight."

"Right, about Mendelson."

"Yes," Regina began, "The gist of the story-"

But Emma stopped her, "Nope, no gisting-"

"That's not a word."

"I don't give a shit." Emma snapped back, her patience was nearly gone, so bad had the past few weeks been. "You will tell me all of the story: every bit of it. Leaving nothing out, because if we're going to work together on this, we have to be equal partners. I'll know everything you know, and you'll know everything I know-"

"-that's not saying much-"

"-And, Regina, if you're lying to me, I'll know." She finished with her eyes closed, trying to maintain a handle on her emotions. _God, this woman is going to end me_.

"Very well, Miss Swan." Regina hissed, irritated at having once again, been robbed of control. She began her story, telling Emma of the little boy and his father and her boredom with Storybrook. Regina haltingly told of her plan to keep the boy as she searched Emma's face for any sign of judgment or shock before realizing that she _cared _about what the blonde thought of her; of how she saw the Mayor she had never known.

But Regina found no judgment, no irritation or anger. The blonde simply listened, digesting what she had heard and assimilating the facts into what she knew now. The Mayor finished her story with the confrontation of the grown man in his apartment. Emma narrowed her eyes and sipped her water, taking care to set it on the coaster Regina had carefully shifted under her glass.

"So this guy, is that kid you met thirty years ago?"

"Twenty-nine, and yes." Regina said and then, "What?" She asked when Emma gave a soft chuckle.

"It's just weird to know that I'm twenty-nine and you look twenty-nine but you're really like 60 something, right?"

Regina exhaled loudly, "Your parents are not far behind me." She reminded her.

"I didn't mean to offend you, I mean, obviously, you don't _look_ that old…not that it's old…" Emma took a deep breath. She'd hardly been able to form a sentence all damn day. "It's just, your age doesn't matter so long as you look twenty-nine, right?"

Regina watched the younger woman struggle, surprised that she was finding a small amount of sympathy for the blonde; she truly had had an awful few weeks and it was beginning to wear her down. "Of course," Regina said dismissively, not wanting to consider her true age either. "Any pertinent questions?"

Emma asked her to clarify a few things before inhaling deeply. "So what happened to Mendelson's father?"

"He's not here."

"That's what you told Mendelson." Emma said.

"That was the truth."

"Where is he then?"

"I sent him to a…friend."

"A friend? Regina, spit it out."

The brunette snapped her gaze up in anger. "He was locked up in the asylum for a while until I was contacted by a magical being in this world."

"This world doesn't have magic outside Storybrook."

"There are those that have traveled here from our land or others like it. They have magic."

"How did they find you?"

Regina tilted her head. "My reputation proceeded me."

"Pheromones, no doubt. So this being," she made air quotes with her slender fingers. "took care of him? How?"

"Erased his memory and sent him on his way from what I understand." Regina said. "That was the plan at any rate."

"In exchange for what?"  
"Excuse me?" Regina's head snapped up at the insulation in the blonde's voice.

"All magic comes at a price, right?"

"Information, I provided information." She said looking at the blonde curiously, "Well, Miss Swan?"

"Well?" Emma asked and resisted the urge to say, _Well, what?_

"Now that you know of the mess I have caused would you say that I deserve whatever Mendleson is planning?"

That was an odd question from the brunette. Emma gave her a sideways glance of suspicion; trying to tell if she was inviting her to criticize her. "That depends on what he is planning." She returned wearily. "But no, Regina. I know you won't believe this but…I don't think you deserve the torture that man is sure to want to inflict. None of us do."

Regina winced at this expression, reminded that her mistake could possibly cost her Henry. Her eyes gazed at the blonde. "So no indignant speech? No, Savior-esque oration about good versus evil?"

"You're being dramatic. I've never been one for speeches anyway. You were always the one so clever with your…words." Emma had almost said _mouth. _And from the look on the Mayor's face, she knew it. "I'm just tired and ready to go to bed." She wished she could snatch back the words as soon as they were gone.

"Well, by all means; don't let me stand in your way."

"That's not how I meant it…I didn't mean here…with…in your…like last night."

"Oh, but last night was such fun." Regina slid closer to her and Emma bit her lip.

"Well, I don't remember it-"

"You don't remember crawling into my bed and then stripping?" Regina cackled on the inside with glee at the look on the blonde's face.

"No, I don't."

"You don't remember snuggling down next to me this morning with your leg draped across me like I was some piece of ass in your bed?" Regina's mouth was close to her ear as Emma sat very still and quiet.

"No." She whispered back. "And I'm sorry, Regina, I had too much to drink last night; I just never would have imagined I would have crawled into bed and…" she trailed off, embarrassed at not remembering a single moment of it. "had sex with you."

Regina leaned back and cackled in a very wicked witch sort of way, it seemed to the blonde. "My dear, we didn't have sex."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N- I'm working a slow build here...keep the reviews coming; they're great fuel and awesome motivation. Things are only going to get better from here on out ;)

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"Wh-what?" Emma stammered whipping her head around to the woman. "But I woke up in your bed, with hardly any clothes…I couldn't find my bra for Christsakes!" She jumped up. "And you were just going to let me think that we had…that we had…made love?" She growled at the woman on the sofa who was the image of cool. It made Emma want to mess up her perfectly styled hair and smudge her carefully applied lip color.

"Calm yourself, Miss Swan. I'll tell you exactly what happened last night." She gestured to the sofa and Emma sat, still glaring at her. "I woke up at two in the morning because you came dragging into my room, complaining about it being cold in the guest room."

"And you offered your bed?"

"No. You crawled right in and made yourself at home; as you are apt to do. If it had not been for Henry in the other room I would have tossed you out on your ear… but because you were making so much noise already; I allowed it." Her eyebrow raised as she remembered the feel of the blonde scrambling over her ungracefully to get to the other side of the bed. "And then you began complaining that it was too hot and so you began stripping."

Emma blushed and moaned, "Oh, no." She buried her face in her hands as she felt tears of shame come to her eyes.

"Oh, yes, you did." Regina said triumphantly, looking on at the embarrassed blonde. She found it all too funny. "I couldn't get you to stop that either, again because you were making so much noise. I rolled over and fell to sleep after that…by the way, you snore like a freight train."

"What about the bruise?"

"What bruise?"

Emma's face didn't leave her hands. "On my collarbone." She was so incredibly mortified she couldn't even look at the brunette's mocking smile. She knew better than to have that much to drink, especially on a fairly empty stomach. But the past few weeks had been an endless barrage of people coming by the station, the bean fields, stopping she and her son in the park, and showing up at her house all to seek reassurance from the savior. Not to mention the phone calls; person after person asking for information, giving her friendly advice, and telling her how to do her job. It had all been too much. And what had she done? A bit of binge drinking with the last person she trusted. The tears streamed down her cheeks behind her hands and curtain of hair.

Regina was completely unaware of the turmoil inside Emma at that moment as she thought hard, trying to remember why the blonde would have a bruise on her collar bone. "Oh, you tripped up in your haste to my bed and hit your shoulder on the footboard." She remembered. "It must look terrible today. You did fall pretty hard. Let me see." She said but Emma just shook her head. "Miss Swan, it can't be that bad. Let me see." She reached forward and put a hand on the blonde's arm but Emma batted her away and stood.

"Well, thanks for the information about Mendelson and about clearing the air last night; I don't know why I automatically jumped to the conclusion that we…ya know." She said and turned her back away from the woman as she wiped her eyes; still mortified by her drunken behavior the night before.

"Sheriff?" Regina was alarmed. Had the woman been crying? She stood quickly and made her way to the door right before Emma got to it. "Sheriff Swan, I'm speaking to you." Emma stopped but wouldn't turn. "Look at me."

"Really, Regina?" Emma sighed. "The bruise isn't that bad."

"I'm not worried about the bruise." She said.

The blonde slowly turned at looked at her, daring her to laugh or mock her tired, moist, and sad, sad eyes. Regina came slowly down the steps. She had no idea the stress Emma had been under. It was easy to be hated as the Evil Queen; she hadn't given a care about what they thought of her. But Emma cared deeply for the people in the town and they were running her into the ground.

Regina found the bruise on her shoulder and ran her finger over it. The blonde tensed and looked down at her curiously. The Mayor found that she was sorry for teasing her so, especially after the blonde had offered no judgment or mockery at her own folly with Mendleson's father and younger self. "Yes, you did hit the footboard pretty hard. I almost got up to check on you, before you climbed over me, that is." She said quietly.

"I'm sorry I was such an inconvenience." Emma muttered refusing to make eye contact with her as the woman continued to rub over her clavicle almost absently.

"It's quite alright, dear. You can't help it that you're a terrible bedmate." The woman offered a twitching of her lips in way of a smile.

Emma was struck with a sudden thought. "Mayor?"

"Yes, Sheriff."

"Why didn't you just go sleep in the other room?"

Regina's finger stilled on her skin and she drew her hand away quickly before leveling her with a steely gaze. "I was not going to be run out of _my _bedroom by a skinny, blonde Barbie." She said, shuddering.

Emma cracked a grin, there was the venom she knew. If felt familiar and safe. "You know what I think?"

"No, but I'm sure you'll tell me."

"I think you liked the company." She smirked and flounced out the door before Regina could do anything but stare.

The brunette slammed the door. That woman infuriated her so, _Liked the company, I'll show her company._ She raged at the closed door before turning and smiling in spite of herself.

Emma was sick. Big time. Her eyes felt gritty and sore and her throat was screaming. She could barely lift her head up off the pillow without a groan. She definitely had the flu or something like it. James and Snow had taken up in her place and, as they found the job of mayor tedious, Regina was in her element in that position. Emma knew they would all either be a great team or destroy the town. She sneezed and clutched the tissue to her chest when her phone rang for the fifth time that day.

Another person seeking advice or help or a sympathetic ear. She rolled over and covered her head with the pillow. All throughout the day, Emma would fall into a fitful sleep only to be awoken by someone knocking on her door. It seemed that when people realized she wasn't checking her phone, they could just come by her house. Emma was near tears by the end of the day because she was so exhausted and miserable.

She awoke to find Henry's big eyes regarding her with a handkerchief over his mouth. "Hey, kid." She croaked and smiled at his somber expression.

"Mom, you're really sick."

"Yeah, don't come closer."

"Have you been to the doctor?"

"I don't like the doctor."

"Mom, you should go."

"Henry, I'll be fine. I just need a few days of rest-" as she said this, her phone lit up again and Henry snatched it up. He watched as the screen told him that she had fifteen missed calls.

"Wow, they just can't leave you alone."

"Sometimes being the hero isn't all it's cracked up to be." She smiled sadly at him.

"You need a Fortress like Superman; a place that you can rest and get better."

"Know of any place no one will find me?" She laughed, almost willing to try anything he suggested.

"My Mom's."

Almost. "Henry, I don't think that would work." Her heart skipped at the thought of being cuddled by Regina as she was healing.

"Why not? No one would look for you there? And I could stay with both of you and have you both at the same time. It would be brilliant!" He pumped his small fist in the air. "I'm going to call her." He snatched up her phone.

"Henry! No! Wait, Henry, don't do that!" she called after him but he scampered off. "Damn. That's all I need." She pictured the woman's mocking face as the brunette realized Emma needed her. _Nope, I don't need her. I definitely don't need her._ She thought as she dozed off.


	6. Chapter 6

A knock at the door awoke her. In a blind rage, mustering all her strength, Emma jumped out of bed, ran to the door and pulled it open as she hissed, "I swear to God that I will rip off the balls of the fucker behind this-" She found herself face to face with the Mayor.

"Well, you'll find that difficult, Sheriff, as I don't have any."

Emma blinked. "What are you doing here?"

"Henry called and said you were sick."

"Come to take him away from me and my disease?" she bit back.

Regina took in her pitiful state and pursed her lips. "No, dear. I was going to offer my home as a place to convalesce. As Henry succinctly put it, no one would come looking for you there."

"Right, well I appreciate the offer-"

"Miss Swan, you do not look well at all." She said coming into the apartment as Emma swayed back toward the bed. Her legs were wobbly and she felt lightheaded. The blonde felt cool hands pressing into her back and turning her around. "Emma, you're burning up." Regina said in alarm, forgetting her formality as the woman slumped against her. "Henry!"

The boy came running, "Is she ok?"

"Pack a bag, we're leaving."

"How are we going to get her to the car?" he asked.

Regina bit her lip and then looked at Emma. There was no way she could drag the half-conscious blonde to her Mercedes. Not without inciting a riot at any rate. She looked at her son quickly and he nodded his head imperceptibly. He understood.

Within a minute, he had packed them both at bag and was at his mother's elbow. "Hold tight." She said to the boy and the woman in her arms as the swirling mist surrounded them.

Emma awoke, in Regina's bed. "Not again." She moaned softly and heard a chuckle from somewhere above her. Her eyes snapped opened and she saw Regina's face and felt her weight beside her on the bed. A cool rag was being pressed to her forehead and neck as the woman attempted to cool her fever. "That's cold!" Emma snapped and tried to roll away but the woman stilled her easily.

"It's either this or an ice bath. We have to get your fever down; you could start losing brain cells and we both know that you can't afford that."

"I'd like to see you t-try." Emma's teeth chattered and she looked down at herself. She was definitely in Regina's bed and in a state that was similar to the previous time except that her body felt wretched beyond belief.

"Dear, you're as weak as a kitten. You couldn't fight me at this point." Regina said plainly and cleared her throat as though she was about to say something else but didn't.

"Can I at least have a sheet so that I'm less…naked." She was humiliated; why did this woman always show up in time to see her at her most vulnerable?

Regain pursed her lips and pulled the sheet up toward her and Emma could smell her on them. They smelled like secrets and promises. She tucked herself under it and allowed the woman to continue to pat her head, wringing out the cloth and then soaking it again. "Why are you doing this for me, Regina?"

"I'm doing it for Henry." She deferred automatically and Emma narrowed green eyes at her but the woman wouldn't meet her gaze. "It makes him happy."

"Whatever." Emma huffed and rolled away. But she was glad that the brunette continued to pat the back of her neck with the rag; it was comforting.

Emma shivered and quaked in fever. She knew it was daytime; the black-out curtains in Regina's room didn't block out all the light but the forced darkness was disorienting. Emma rolled over on her stomach, tucked her knees to her chest, and shook in the chills that overcame her. There were shapes moving along the walls, shadows stalking her and leering at her. A familiar face swam into view through the dim light; beautiful and cruel with a wicked grin and dark, dark eyes. "No!" She cried out. "Go away!" The woman stalked closer and bent down to smile coldly at her.

"Hello, Emma." Said the Queen. "But my, my, my; you are lovely." She whispered.

"No," Emma muttered trying to fight the feel of the woman's hands clutching her. "You're not her!" she shouted at the woman who cackled. Suddenly, a smell rolled past her; a smell of apples and spice. "Regina?" She asked cautiously.

Then gentle hands were tugging her up out of bed as she clawed at the covers, trying desperately to find some heat. Comforting arms pulled her into an embrace as worried fingers tripped over her forehead, down her neck, and reached under her shirt to access her back.

"Jesus, Miss Swan, you are frying." Regina hissed and pulled her to her feet. "We have to get you in the bath now.

"Oh God, no! I'm so cold!"

"Your fever is too high!" The brunette said forcefully and pulled her to a half standing pose, almost dragging her to the bathroom. She propped Emma in a chair and turned on the shower before returning to the blonde. "Miss Swan, we have to get your fever down. You understand don't you?" Emma nodded. "You were hallucinating in there. That's not good." She muttered and stripped the woman down; understanding that modesty went out the window a few minutes ago.

Emma gasped and looked down when Regina pulled her naked body to her and half-carried her to the shower. "I'm sorry, Miss Swan." She said and helped her into the tub. Emma flinched as the cool shower rained down on her.

"Oh, fuck!" she yelped like a wounded dog and tried to get out but Regina knelt down and held her in. Grimacing at the pitiful sounds the blonde was making as she writhed in the tub, unable to stand and too weak to rise. Still she fought, nearly tipping the brunette off-balance in her desperation.

"I'm so sorry, Emma." Regina whispered as she leaned further in and held her across her shoulders; trying to steady and comfort her at the same time. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Emma stopped shivering and shuddering and Regina pressed a hand to her head and back before rising and shutting off the water. She took her own fluffy robe in her hands and lifted Emma with a grunt of effort.

The brunette pulled her close and wrapped the robe around her before realizing that Emma couldn't stand. She sighed, waved a hand and Emma was tucked in bed with her robe on. Regina herself entered the room and stripped off her soaking shirt before replacing it with a new one and brushing back her damp hair. The thermometer was sitting by the bed and she picked it up and placed it under the exhausted woman's tongue. 98.8 it read and Regina sighed in relief. They had gotten it back down.

Emma stirred and looked up at the woman sitting on the side of the bed. "Hey, doc." She croaked and cracked an eye. "Your shock therapy worked, I'm cured."

Regina rolled her eyes to hide a grin, but Emma wasn't fooled. "I'm glad to see that your fever is down again."

"Thanks to you." Emma said and before she could really thank her, Regina held up a hand.

"Please do not thank me for putting you through that."

"But that saved my brain cells." She said bemused; usually the woman accepted any and all credit for her deeds.

"I'm just glad you're…recovered for now."

Emma watched her closely. "What's wrong?"

"You were hallucinating; that's really bad."

"But I'm not anymore." Emma reminded her. "Thanks to you." She noticed the dampness in Regina's hair. "I didn't drag you in there with me, did I?"

"You certainly tried." Regina's mouth twitched.

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't be." The Mayor dismissed. "Besides, your near death experience gives me a reason to stay home and cancel my tedious appointments." She kicked off her shoes and curled her feet up on the bed.

"I wouldn't say _near death_," Emma mumbled.

"You did not see what I saw." Regina said. "Who were you talking to?" Emma blushed slightly and Regina mistook it for fever. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. There were shadows…moving around the room."

"But you said…" Regina recalled back, "Something like, 'you're not her' or some such phrase to that effect."

"Did I? I don't remember." Emma evaded again but the Mayor caught on this time.

"Who was it?"

Emma sighed, "It was the Queen."

"Of England?" Regina asked, thoroughly confused.

"Yes, of course…" Emma huffed, "No, woman. It was the Evil Queen."

"Me?"

"Wrong again." Emma said impatiently.

"But I _am_ the Evil Queen."

"But it wasn't you. She was cold and harsh and she…touched me."

Regina's head whipped up, "Touched you, how?" Her voice was harsh on Emma's ears and the blonde flinched visibly.

Emma blushed again remembering the woman's cold hands running up her thighs and stomach. "It doesn't matter, it wasn't you; it wasn't right." She said and then shut her eyes in horror. "That's not what I meant; those two things are not related. I meant she was inappropriate and also that she wasn't you."

Regina stared at her in confusion but a little sliver of warmth crept up her back and warmed her heart a bit. She watched the blonde as she rolled over and pulled the covers up about her. Regina found that she didn't mind that her sopping curls were soaking her pillows or sheets. Coming in to find the blonde in such a state had actually frightened Regina.

She frowned at the memory and the fear in Emma's voice when she had muttered her name. It tugged at her heart a bit. She supposed it was because it was difficult to see the usually vivacious and snapping Sheriff nearly unable to hold her own head up. It was disconcerting. But something else ticked the back of the brunette's consciousness and she tried to figure out what it was.

Could it perhaps be that Emma had always protected Regina? When the towns' people came after her, she stopped them. When Archie was murdered, Emma stopped the rest of them from jumping on her. Not to mention the fiasco with the wraith. She always corrected Henry if he said something negative while Regina was around. Could it be that she felt the need to protect the Sheriff in the same way that she had done for her?

No. She shook her head against her own thoughts. This was decidedly more intimate than any of the protection the blonde had offered. This was _caretaking_, wasn't it? She sighed, baffled by her own motives; finding herself in a place she had never been before as she gazed down at the now-sleeping blonde. She didn't feel the need to exploit or torture the blonde for once, it wouldn't have been any fun anyway; the Sheriff was too weak right now. _But isn't that what the Evil Queen would have done? Sink her teeth into that weakness?_ Perhaps Emma was right; she wasn't that woman anymore.


	7. Chapter 7

_Emma was chained to the wall as the Queen stalked to her. "Back again aren't we? I see you're a glutton for punishment?" The cold voice washed over her as she hung in the torch light, manacled to the cold stone._

_ "Let me go." Emma growled as the woman stalked closer. She looked like Regina, she moved like Regina, she even flicked her eyebrow like Regina; but it wasn't her._

_ "Come now, as I recall; you're the one who crawled into my bed."_

_ "I was drunk."_

_ "I've heard that before."_

_ "Nothing happened."_

_ "Are you sure about that?" The Queen stepped closer, crowding her space and forcing Emma to push back into the rough wall to look into her dark eyes. "How do you know? You don't remember, really." Her hand stroked up her thigh and flank to her ribs, under her shirt, finally stopping to cup her breast._

_ "Regina said-"_

_ The woman slapped her roughly, "I _am_ Regina." She snarled and pinched her nipple painfully. A shock went through Emma's body and she bucked in pleasure against the lithe body of the Queen. "You're so easy, Miss Swan." She cackled and the blonde felt shame and anger rising._

_ "This is a dream, this isn't really happening. I'm going to wake up now."_

_ "Oh, dear." The Evil Queen leaned into her ear and took the tender lobe roughly between her teeth, eliciting a small gasp from the blonde and then raking her nails down Emma's back viciously. "Just because it's a dream, doesn't mean it's not real." Her nails bit into her back as she scratched again and Emma woke up._

"Miss Swan?" Regina's worried voice called to her and the woman's face swam into view. Emma yelped and stiffened in her arms before realizing she was awake. She sat bolt upright and looked around as if the woman was going to reappear. Realizing it was over, she sank back down into the bed she was sharing with the Mayor. "Miss Swan, you were dreaming; your fever is coming back." She grabbed the wet rag and sponged her face as Emma lay, allowing her to do so.

"Nightmare."

"Yes, you were squirming and moaning; it took me a moment to get you awake. What was it about?"

"Someone had me…chained." She answered automatically as she tried to still the shivers in her sick body.

The cloth on her head slowed a moment, "Chained?"

"Yeah, like in a dungeon." She said and then realized what she was saying. "Nevermind." She rolled over and Regina continued to pat her neck and then she lifted her shirt in a businesslike manner and patted her back as well.

"Miss Swan? What are these scratches?"

Emma yelped and sat up twisting to look at them. "She left a mark!?" She panicked. "I thought it was a dream! Where are they?" Regina ran a quick finger in two horizontal lines on her back and Emma relaxed. "Oh, those are old scars." Then blushed because she had asked about _she _and laid back down, facing away from the brunette's inquisitive eyes.

"Who was in your nightmare, Miss Swan?" Regina watched the back of the blonde's head.

She sighed, knowing the woman knew anyway, "The Evil Queen."

"And she scratched your back? While you were chained to the wall in her dungeon?" she asked and Emma turned to narrow her eyes; trying to decide if she was making fun of her but she saw no mocking in the dark eyes.

"Yes."

"What else did she do?"

"Highly inappropriate things."

_That explains the moaning_. Regina thought to herself, "Biting?"

"Yes."

"What else?"

"She pinched my…" Emma couldn't bring herself to say it. "She pinched me."

"I see. No wonder you jumped away from me when you awoke- I must have scared the shit out of you." Regina mumbled and Emma's lips quirked up to hear the prude Mayor utter profanity.

"Well, I quickly realized you weren't her."

"But Miss Swan, I am her. We are one in the same." The brunette shook her head.

"No, you look the same, you talk the same, hell; you even _move_ the same-"

"How so?" Regina interrupted with curiosity.

"You…stalk."

"Stalk?"

"Yes…like some sort of fucking jungle cat." Emma exhaled, "Anyway, there's a big difference between you and the woman in my dream…as inappropriate as that sounds." She added hastily.

"What's the difference?" Regina' voice was quiet almost yearning.

I was this unsure tone that prompted Emma to respond after a pause. "Well, your eyes. Same color…but different emotions. Her's are cold; just cold. Yours are more…complicated." Emma finished and Regina snorted. "And you kinda smell different." She blurted before she could stop herself.

"Smell, Miss Swan? We _smell _different? How is that possible?"

"Well she smelled sinister and overly sexed…"

"And how do I smell, Miss Swan?" Regina's hands rubbed the cloth soothingly across her back.

"Like apples and spice and…darkness." She sighed reluctantly. "But I suppose that's what's on the bottle of your Mayor Sexypants perfume, huh?"

"I don't wear perfume." Regina said quietly; her mouth twitching at the title Emma had used.

"Oh," Emma blushed furiously at the fact that she had just described to the woman her very distinct, and obviously very natural, aroma. "Well, I just figured…you know, you're always so…" She couldn't finish. _Just stop, Emma,_ she thought to herself. _You've eaten your foot enough today_.

"So what, Miss Swan?"

"Forget it."

"Oh, no. We're talking about me, I'd like to know what your observations are." Regina's voice was playful but not unkind.

Emma almost groaned in embarrassment; why did this woman have the ability to do this to her? "You're just always so well put together; pencil skirt, silk blouse, designer jacket, and those goddamn heels. I just figured you would wear perfume."

"Hmmm, it seems Neal isn't the only one that is concerned with my attire." Regina chuckled quietly, dipped and re-wrung the cloth before clearing her throat. "Roll over, dear. Let me get your face again; you don't want the Evil Queen to make another appearance do you?" She asked and when Emma refused to budge, she sighed. "Or do you, Miss Swan?"

The blonde turned slowly and glared at her. "Of course I don't. That bitch nearly bit my fucking ear off."

"Your ear?" Regina laughed and patted the feverish skin on Emma's forehead. "Yes, I believe that she and I do have quite a lot in common."

Emma rolled her eyes then looked up at Regina as she pushed the blonde hair off her neck to continue pressing the cloth to her methodically and almost tenderly. "Why are you doing this?"

"I told you, Miss Swan. For Henry-"

Emma rolled her eyes again. "Really Regina? Playing the Henry card on me? I nearly pulled you into a freezing cold shower with me; soaked you right to the bone and you didn't bitch a bit. You've showed no reluctance in taking care of me…not that I'm complaining." She added hastily as the cloth stilled a bit. "I really do appreciate all this, but I know you're not just doing it for Henry."

The brunette was quite for a moment as the green eyes probed her face for answers. "I suppose that I realized that you have always…played the Devil's advocate for me. After the curse broke and everyone came after me. After Archie was "killed"," she used her fingers to make air quotes, "You believe me…initially."

"Look, about that-"

"I don't want an apology, my mother was quite clever; she's duped many more people that you." She shook her dark hair, "At any rate, even after her…death, as we've been sorting through things you put the Mayor's office back in my hands."

"Well, you agreed to meet with Archie and…that earned a lot of peoples' trust." Emma said quickly.

"And you even encouraged Henry to see me."

Emma looked surprised and then she looked embarrassed. "That kid can't keep a damn secret to save his life."

"He's kept the secret about you being here." Regina pointed out. "But no, he's a terrible liar. He spilled the beans the second dinner we had together."

"What exactly did he say?"

"He said that you thought it would be a good thing for me, if Henry spent time with me. You apparently told him that it would help people get over the things they had seen me do."

"I did say all that."

"I don't doubt it." Regina's face turned wicked briefly. "You _do _have to save everyone don't you, Miss Swan? Even the bad guy."

"If I thought you were totally bad, I wouldn't want Henry around you."

"Oh, but I am bad." The brunette smirked. "As a matter of fact, if you had showed up in my dungeon, hung to the wall, I most likely would have done_ exactly _what the Evil Queen did to you." The cloth was still on Emma's skin and the blonde looked up; unsure as to whether she was joking or if this was where Regina morphed into the woman from her feverish dreams.

"But you wouldn't now."

"Of course not." The woman said briskly and Emma's face looked somewhat relived. "I don't have a dungeon."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N- Thanks for sticking with me...yeah, yeah, yeah, I know slow, huh? But enjoy the meandering pace and lukewarm SwanQueen moments for now. I promise that it will get much steamier ;)

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Before Emma could retort they heard footsteps on the stairs and both turned to look as Henry knocked and came in abruptly. He stopped, turned his head and smiled slowly. "It's nice to see you two together."

Neither woman knew what to say, "How was school?" Emma blurted to cut through the awkward silence.

"School." He said the one word as if this answered everything.

"Homework?" Regina asked dropping the rag in the basin and standing, moving away from Emma who was propped up on the pillows.

"Finished it in class." He said then looked at the blonde. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm still definitely sick, but your Mom is taking great care of me."

"I know." He answered simply. "Do you think you would be up to maybe us all playing cards or something later?"

"Henry, Miss Swan, I'm sure is too-"

"Sure, kid." Said Emma who was thankful to have a slice of his time. She had a difficult time saying no to him anyway. "Whatever you want."

"Maybe a movie after that?" He asked and Emma grinned and nodded then they both looked at Regina who stood with hands on hips. "Please, Mom?" his big eyes begged.

"Sure, so long as you go to bed on time and Miss Swan doesn't tire herself out too much."

"You can call her Emma, you know." He said and flounced out of the room.

"He gets his presumptuousness from you." Emma laughed and watched the woman's mouth twitch. "Telling everybody what to do and how to do it." Regina just looked at her. "Not that you don't do that incredibly well."

"Yes, well. Someone has to take care of you two." She said and exited the room slightly flustered. _Did I actually say, "you two"? _Regina groaned to herself.

They sat around the table and Emma was attempting to teach them Texas Hold 'em. "Henry, hold your cards up or put them on the table." She reminded. The Mayor however, took to the game quite quickly and was soon wining every other hand.

Emma was watching Regina so closely for a tell or a crack in her poker face that even Henry started beating her. "You're really not good at this, are you Mom?" he asked as he took the pot again.

"Obviously not." Emma sighed. "Since I'm being beaten by my students."

Regina cracked a grin. "You should have known better; you wear your heart on your sleeve and have a terrible poker face."

"Yes, I suppose I don't have quite the, ah…_experience_ that you do, Mayor." She said and gave her a half-grin to let the woman know that she was joking.

"Is that a jibe at my former title or my age? You really should be more specific, dear."

"I suppose it was both." Henry looked back and forth between them in nervous confusion; they both were fighting smiles but they seemed to sound so serious. He relaxed however because though the energy was charged with their sparring, it wasn't oppressive or uncomfortable as it usually was when the two women met.

"Indeed. Both categories have their advantages; my age allows me the ability to master my own reactions in a way that you obviously can't. But my former position allows me to exploit the tell you have of wrinkling your nose slightly when you have a bad hand."

Emma threw down her card dramatically. "Big party foul, Mayor. Don't discuss another player's tell at the table."

"You made that up." The Mayor smirked.

"Movie time?" Emma pretended not her hear her and turned to Henry. He jumped up.

"Sure!" Henry scampered out to ready the DVD player.

"Do I really wrinkle my nose?" Emma turned to Regina.

"Yes, you do; and not only when you're playing cards."

"When else?"

"You used to do it when I walked in the room." She smirked and stood to walk into the kitchen.

Emma followed her then leaned on the counter as the brunette pulled out a bag of popcorn and placed it in the microwave. "Wait, used to?"

"Yes." Regina turned her back and arbitrarily wiped down the counters; doing anything to keep from looking into Emma's eyes. "I haven't noticed you do it lately."

"Well, I guess I'll have to get back on my game." She joked. "Can't have you thinking I like you or anything." She grinned at the woman and Regina turned around with something undefinable in her eyes. "Regina, I was kidding-"

"I know, dear." The Mayor flashed a wicked grin and arched a brow. "I would so _hate _it if you were _nice _to me."

"Yes, it's that sadistic side of you." Emma retorted deadpan. Regina laughed loudly and genuinely and Emma found she rather liked the sound.

"Moms?" Henry's voice came to them from the door. He was looking puzzled; it had been a long time since he had heard the brunette laugh and she certainly hadn't done it in the presence of the blonde.

The plural of their titles was not lost on either woman and they glanced at each other. "Are you ready to watch the movie, kid?"

"Yes." He said and looked at them. "Is it ok if I sit in between both of you?"

Regina glanced at Emma. "Henry, I-"

"I'm still too sick, kid."

"But I don't care."

"But I do." Emma said. "Tell you what, you sit with your mom and I'll sit on the other side of her. That way we're both still close. Is that alright?" She directed her question to Henry but her gaze flickered to Regina. The brunette nodded imperceptibly and the microwave buzzed; signaling the popcorn was finished.

They sat down in the living area and Henry snuggled into Regina who smiled contentedly. Emma hovered nervously on the other side of the room, pretending to try and make sure the DVD player was set up properly. "Miss Swan," Regina cleared her throat and patted the space next to her, "The movie is starting."

Emma sat down next to her, trying hard not to touch her as Henry leaned into the brunette and smiled happily. The boy had picked a kid-friendly movie, but Emma found the villain creepy. At one point, the hero was edging through the darkness of a cave and the bad guy jumped out at him; Emma nearly jumped into Regina's lap.

The brunette smirked and raised a brow when Emma closed the gap and did not move from her side. "Jumpy?" she muttered out of the side of her mouth.

"I wasn't expecting it." The blonde murmured back, still engrossed in the film.

"Would you two stop talking? This is the best part." A sharp quip from Henry caused them both to smirk. Emma reached her hand behind Regina's head and ruffled his hair. He looked up and grinned lazily and then went back to watching the movie. Emma left her hand in his hair and her arm brushing the back of Regina's head.

The brunette found that she rather didn't mind Emma's arm there. The woman was warm and smelled like sunshine and soap and for the first time in a long time, the Mayor felt content to have the companionship she had. A brief spark of confusion lit her brain. Wasn't this the woman she was supposed to hate? Wasn't this the woman that had taken everything from her? How on earth could she feel this much…(dare she say it?) _affection_ for the lanky blonde?

But flashes of Emma pushing through an angry crowd, of green eyes locked on hers in an interrogation room, of a violent shove out of harm's way as the dark demon had descended upon them. Then more scenes whirled through her mind and Regina couldn't stop from picturing Emma's shivering, shrinking form in the cold shower and the desperate tone in her voice when she had called Regina's name.

The sensation bubbling within her chest was damn near overwhelming. It had been a great deal of time since she had felt the need to care for anyone but Henry. But it seemed that Emma Swan had done what she did best and made herself at home in Regina's emotions. It was disconcerting to say the least but now with Henry on one side and the blonde on the other, Regina felt an inexplicable sense of calm and peace. Neither of which were emotions she was accustomed to and neither of which she would relinquish easily. If it took having Emma Swan around to make her feel this serene then Regina would be damned if she didn't at least try to make it work out.

The brunette was brought back to the movie when Henry nuzzled down into her. She realized then that she was cozy and that her eyelids were beginning to droop. Sighing softly to herself, knowing she would succumb to weakness just this once, (and as she had seen the movie quite a few times) she dozed off; laying her head back against the sofa, slightly resting on Emma's arm.

_Is she sleeping? _Emma wondered and snuck a glance at the brunette with her eyes closed, lips slightly apart, and breathing deeply. Her dark hair fanned across her face and Emma was fascinated by how differently she looked while asleep. The woman must have felt Emma's intense gaze because she exhaled sharply and then snuggled back; looking for a more comfortable position. She found a more comfortable prop in the crook of Emma's shoulder.

The blonde stiffened slightly and her eyes widened. She checked to see if Henry had noticed that his mother was now laying against her. But the boy was blissfully engrossed in the movie and Emma relaxed a bit; enjoying the heat of the woman next to her. She smiled slightly and watched the final battle with Henry.

When the credits began rolling, Henry looked up at the woman he was leaned against and noticed she had fallen asleep. It was nice to see her so relaxed; it wasn't until his eyes flickered to Emma that he realized the brunette was asleep _on_ Emma. His eyes widened and a quick smirk crossed his face.

The blonde noticed him watching and narrowed her green eyes at the smile on his face; he quickly wiped it off and looked somber. Emma then inclined her head to Regina and mouthed, "Play along," to the boy before dropping her head back against the couch and putting on a convincing act of sleep. Henry understood and smiled at the joke coming.

"Mom?" he whispered quietly and nudged Regina gently. The woman's eyes fluttered open and squinted at him; she smiled, not realizing she was still leaned against the possum-playing blonde.

"Did you enjoy the movie?" She asked with a husky voice.

"Yes, it's one of my favorites." Then he feigned a frown. "But I don't think Emma did." He said and looked at the blonde behind her.

"Why's that, Henry?"

"She's asleep." He said and then sat back to watch the entertainment.

Regina stiffened when she realized that Emma's arm was draped casually behind her and that she, herself, was propped against the lean woman. She sat up very slowly but the faking woman grumbled a bit under her breath and closed her hand around her shoulder; pulling her back into her.

"Miss Swan." Regina hissed, and Henry stifled a chuckle which quickly turned into a dramatic yawn under the imperious gaze of his mother. Emma just snuggled deeper and sighed. Regina could feel her warm breath against her neck and shuddered just a bit; Henry didn't notice, but Emma did and it surprised her. "Miss Swan." She said again, louder this time and sat up quickly.

Emma jerked awake from her fake sleeping. "Is the movie over?"

"Yes, you missed the end." Henry pouted.

The blonde grinned. "Sorry, kid. Must have dozed off. Was it entertaining?" She asked him with a conspiratorial smile.

"Yes, very." He grinned back and Regina grew suspicious. Before she had the chance to say anything, however, Henry jumped up and leaned in to give her a kiss. "Good night, Moms." He said and trotted up the stairs in high spirits.


	9. Chapter 9

"Sorry I dozed off." Emma's mouth frowned but her eyes danced. "Was the ending good?"

"Yes, good conquers evil, as always." Regina stood and looked down at the grinning woman. "What?" she snapped.

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Well, being on the other side changes your perspective." She said wryly.

Emma's heart throbbed painfully for the woman. Though she tinged it with her usual coldness and dark humor; the blonde knew that being called evil must get old. Especially when you weren't really.

"I would imagine so." Emma said and stood, following Regina from the room as she gathered the empty popcorn bowl and glasses. "So shall I sleep in the guest bed tonight?" She offered.

"If you would like." Regina said stiffly, she really had not considered it but imagined that crawling into the bed with the blonde would be awkward for both of them.

"Right, well, goodnight then."

"Goodnight, Miss Swan." The brunette returned, still with her back to her.

Emma awoke in a cold sweat. She knew her fever was back with a vengeance. As absurd as it was to think of cold water at the moment with her teeth chattering as they were, she knew that she had to cool down; she didn't want any evil women in her room that night.

She rolled out of bed and stood on shaking legs, trembling with aching joints and fever. She made it to the hallway and staggered along the wall to the bathroom at the end. Passing Regina's door; thankfully, Henry was at the other end of the long hallway. She stumbled in and shut and locked the door behind her, leaning heavily on the counter.

Regina heard the water running in the sink down the hall. She had thought she heard someone passing her door but figured it was Henry up to use the bathroom. She nestled back down in her comforter and pulled it up around her neck as a familiar smell reached her nose. Her eyes widened in the dark when she recognized the soap and sunshine combination of Emma's aroma. Shaking her head, she rolled back to the side of the bed that Emma had not been laying on; hoping to find a piece of fabric that did not smell like the enticing blonde. She was unsuccessful.

Suddenly, she heard a thump in the bathroom down the hall. Going to her door, she stepped out quickly. "Henry?" she called to the darkened house. But his door was shut and she could see the light of his nightlight beaming out from under the crack between hard wood and door. Emma's door, however, was open and Regina found herself hurrying down the hallway. She knocked. "Miss Swan?"

_"No…" Emma murmured with wide eyes as the Queen advanced on her. _

_ "Oh, yes." She said, licking her lips. "I suppose you liked your little game in there on the sofa? Pulling that supple body to yours, pretending to be asleep? What a little manipulator you are." The woman crowded her against the wall; pressing her velvet bodice against Emma's feverish skin. "How dare you play such a trick." The Queen cupped her sex harshly and found her clit as Emma pressed back into the wall; turned on and sickened by it. The Queen's deft fingers flicked it roughly and the blonde bucked._

_ "No," she whispered again. "This isn't right."_

_"You don't like it rough? I'm disappointed." The woman that looked like Regina pouted dramatically as desire danced in her eyes. "I hoped that you would at least put up a fight." Her hand moved against Emma's hot center as she slipped two fingers into her. "Oh, my dear, you are so wet." She purred and bit her teeth into the blonde's shoulder who cried out in pain and surprise. "You must learn to control yourself better."_

_"Back off." Emma grunted and tried to push her away but her body was weak in her fever. In the back of her mind she could hear someone calling her name. A voice she knew; Regina's voice. Her head snapped up and the Evil Queen cast an irritated look over her shoulder and then turned back to see the relief and gratitude on Emma's face._

_ "You think she'll save you?" The woman hissed, pumping her fingers in and out as Emma fought against the pleasure waving through her body. "You think she can? You forget that we are one and the same. If you run into her arms, you might as well be running into mine."_

"You're not her!" Regina heard through the door and her eyes widened in alarm. Casting a glance back to find that her son had not awakened, she stepped back and raised her arms. The door vanished and Emma stood clinging to the wall.

She was quaking and Regina reached her just in time to catch her before she hit the ground. With surprising strength, she drug her into her own bathroom and turned on the faucet before glancing to the blonde at her feet. Frowning at her lack of response to the stimuli around her, Regina plugged the tub and allowed it to run with mostly cold water, though not freezing.

"Miss Swan." She knelt and tried to waken her. When all she got was a murmur and frown, the brunette sighed. "I'm sorry," She whispered with genuine emotion and stripped her down as before. Waving a hand the woman's prone body was transported into the bathtub.

Emma jerked awake to Regina kneeling over her, washing her with cold water. She gasped as it cascaded down her back and tried to claw away from her. "No!" she howled and tried to escape. The Mayor stepped into the water, shifting her robe to remain decent and sat on the side of the tub, grimacing at the blonde's weak attempts to knock her backward and escape what must have seemed to the blonde a frigid hell.

"Miss Swan, we have to get your fever down." She tried to hold the woman's slick skin but was unable. Abandoning all vanity, Regina spread her legs, pulled Emma's back between them and wrapped her arms around the shivering woman's body. "Emma." She whispered in her ear. "You were hallucinating again, your fever is too much; we have to cool you off."

Emma nodded her head as her lip trembled; she could not remember being more miserable. "Ok." She whispered and Regina loosened her hold to take a rag and run it down the blonde's bare back.

After several minutes, by the time that Emma's body temperature was returning to normal, Regina asked in a plain voice, "The Queen was with you again, wasn't she?" Emma nodded miserably. "Did she touch you?" Another nod. "Did she…" Regina took a deep breath, "…hurt you?"

"She bit me again. Here." The blonde raised a shaky hand and touched the juncture of her neck and shoulder muscle.

Regina ran a thumb over the spot; almost as if she were tracing her own teeth marks in the blonde's flesh. "Did she hurt you anywhere else?"

"No, but she…" Emma stopped as tears streamed down her face and she clutched her bare flesh; feeling more vulnerable before the brunette than if she had stood nude in front of the whole town.

"She what?" Regina said gently as she washed her with tender hands and a pained expression.

"She tried to…" Emma hung her head in shame. "I didn't want her to…but…"

"Emma, it's ok." Regina said and the blonde took a deep, quaking breath.

"She put her hand in my…pants." Emma felt the woman behind her stiffen. "I'm sorry, I didn't want it but…she thought I did and my body reacted and…I'm sorry."

"Do. Not. Apologize." Regina's angry voice sounded behind her. She was enraged. The woman she thought was gone was hurting Emma and it made her madder than hell. Her insides twisted with liquid fury at the thought of that bitch's cold fingers touching the blonde before her.

"But, it's like it's you but it's not and…" Emma blushed. She was embarrassed but glad that her fever was dropping enough that she could actually feel the heat of a blush creeping into her face. "My body responded and she was forcing me…to react." She hung her head again. "And it _definitely_ wasn't you but she _looks _like you and what she was saying sounded like what I-" She was babbling and she stopped abruptly as the hands washing her with cold water froze.

"Sounded like what?" Regina asked slowly.

"Nothing." Emma murmured miserably and tucked her legs up to cringe over them with her head on her knees. She was determined not to mention it again.

"Sounded like what? Emma?" The tone was suspicious but not threatening or angry. Emma knew the woman knew that she had been about to say, _sounded like what I imagined you would say_.

"Nothing." She whispered again and dropped her head.

Regina spun grabbed her hair and spun her around with a gentle roughness. Emma found herself staring at the woman's rather expensive looking lace underwear as the position forced her to bare her own naked body. She looked away but Regina's hand caught her face and pulled her chin up to look in her eyes. "Sounded like what?" she grilled again.

"She said things that…um…that I imagined…you would say." Emma blushed deeply and looked into the woman's dark, clouded eyes. "Like that time I thought we had, ya know? She was saying what I thought you might have said."

"And you liked it?" Regina's voice was husky and full of surprise.

Emma jerked her chin from her hand and looked down at Regina's knee. _Damn, _she thought, _even that is sexy. _She found that she felt the need to babble again, "No, she was rough…and she made me feel dirty and bad…but my fucking body…just reacted to it."

Regina stood and stepped out of the tub, helping Emma up and pulling her wet body to her with strength and nimbleness the blonde was surprised to find in the Mayor. She wrapped her in a robe and led her into the bedroom. "You're sleeping in here the rest of the night so that I can check on you."

"No, Regina, that's not fair to you-" Emma began.

"Well it certainly isn't fair to my ears having to listen to your horrendous snoring, it is?" She arched a brow and helped the woman into bed, robe and all. "Besides, I want to be around if your dark lady shows back up." She said with venom dripping from her words as she slipped beneath the covers on the other side of the bed.

"Why?" Emma asked curiously.

"Because I'll be damned if I don't kill that bitch for putting her hands on you." She clicked out the light, rolled over and mumbled to the grinning Emma. "Goodnight, Miss Swan."

"Good night…Regina."


	10. Chapter 10

Emma awoke the next morning and realized she was the little spoon. Her eyes fluttered open as she calibrated herself to the weight on her waist that could only have been the brunette's leg. She glanced down without moving and saw the delicate curve of Regina's fine ass thigh on her hip. Emma hissed quietly as another sensation came to her attention: Regina was cupping her left breast.

She looked down to find that her robe had come open in the night and her body was bared to the world and, it seemed, the brunette's wandering hands. "Regina." She whispered quietly; fearing that at any moment Henry or, irrationally, her mother, could come bursting through the door. The brunette tugged her closer, squeezing the flesh of her chest and burying her face in the back of Emma's head, inhaling deeply. Damn Regina and her ability to sleep deeply.

Emma tried to ease away, but to no avail; the woman's thigh clenched around her briefly and held her in place. But it was her slender hand that truly held the blonde captive. It began to move, gently cupping and rubbing, as if testing the weight of the flesh in her palm. Emma stifled a moan and licked her lips. "Regina, wake up!" she hissed. But the woman mumbled and ran her hand down the blonde's body unconsciously massaging her before returning to her left breast; the fingers stroked up to her nipple and clamped down lazily. "Regina!" Emma shouted.

"What?" The brunette awakened, totally oblivious to the situation of her body. "Why are you waking me so early on a Sunday morning, Miss Swan?" her voice was drowsy and annoyed and sexy as hell, in Emma's opinion.

"Madam Mayor, I suggest you release me."

"Release you?" The words snapped the brunette out of her sleeping state and a shock ran through her body as she found herself draped around the blonde like a familiar lover. Her thigh bare and heavy on the blonde's hip and her hand… "Oh, God." She exclaimed and snatched it from where it had been rolling her nipple back and forth. "Miss Swan!" she shouted as if it had been all Emma's fault.

"Don't yell at me." Emma sat up and looked at her in embarrassment and amusement. "I didn't do anything! I woke up with you wrapped around me like a panther on a tree."

"Well, I…well, I mean to say that…" Regina began with chagrin then snapped. "You should have woken me up!"

"I tried! But you sleep so damn hard!"

"Well then, that settles it! I was obviously dreaming." She rolled away and stood, wrapping her robe closely to her body but feeling it wasn't enough.

"About my breasts?" Emma stood and closed her own robe before putting her hands on her hips.

"Of course not! That's ridiculous!" The blonde couldn't tell if the redness in her face was from anger or embarrassment; but she was willing to bet on the latter.

"Well you sure as hell weren't dreaming of lemon drops and lollipops….or were you?" She asked with a smirk and Regina blushed even deeper. Emma had to say that she rather liked the color on her.

"You are obviously feeling better today, Miss Swan." She sniffed and changed the subject. "Why don't you go make some coffee?"

"Sure, I'll do that. One cream and two sugars." She bit back and went out the door to put on some clothes. Regina cocked her head; how had she known her coffee order?

Emma moved back into her own apartment and found it despairingly empty without Regina there bossing her around or rubbing her back. But the truth was that she wasn't running a fever anymore and that she really needed to get back to work. She sighed and opened the fridge. She would definitely miss Regina's cooking.

Emma got to work to find that her father had left all the paperwork that required the Mayor's signature on her desk. She sighed, not relishing the trip to the woman's office; they had barely spoken to one another after she had woken up with Regina fitting her like a glove. _Hell, _she thought, _we're adults right? We can handle this._ She rolled her eyes at her own stupidity and grabbed the stack of papers, wanting to get it over with.

Regina was a wreck. She remembered with horror waking up with Emma's nipple between her fingers as if she had a right to it. She had barely been able to focus on work; so guilty was her conscience. She couldn't handle the fact that Emma had been spending her fevers undergoing sexual assault at the hands of the Evil Queen and then Regina had turned around and groped her. It was what she had wanted to protect her from by having her in her own bed; she wasn't trying to put her in worse danger.

She felt miserable and shameful that after all the work to be _better,_ to be the mother that Henry deserved, she still had that darkness inside her. Hadn't Emma even said she smelled like it? _And apples and spice_. She heard the blonde's faltering voice in her mind and wiped the frustrated tears from her eyes as a knock sounded on her door.

"I'm busy." She said, attempting to sound casual.

"You're about to be busier." Emma said and let herself in.

Regina stiffened and quickly arranged her face to appear bored. "Miss Swan, more paperwork?" she asked as she eyed the offending stack on her hip.

"It seems that anything that requires your name on it, my parents left to me." She sighed and set the stack down on the desk before looking at the woman carefully. "You're not getting sick are you? You look…tired, Regina."

"I'm perfectly fine." The woman brushed her off and Emma's eyes flashed in concern.

"Are you sure-"

"Of course." She hissed.

"Well, if you do find yourself under the weather, give me a call. You know the last place anyone would bother you is my apartment."

"You're not afraid I'll rape you in your sleep?" the bitter response slapped Emma's surprised face. She leaned over and put her hands on the desk before leveling her eyes at the brunette's red tinged ones.

"I'm pretty sure I can take you." She eyed her. "I mean, especially if you're sick."

"Not if you're chained to a dungeon wall."

"You don't have a dungeon or more than likely I would have already seen it."

"No, _I_ don't have a dungeon."

The inflection caused Emma to narrow her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing."

"Liar." The two women looked at one another in anger, neither one willing to back down from the steely gaze of the other.

Regina lifted a brow. "Leave the paperwork, I'll get it to you by tomorrow morning." She said, dismissing the woman with a cold tone.

Emma refused to yield. "What's going on, Regina? If this is about the way we woke up-"

"As difficult as it might be for you to believe, Miss Swan, I have hardly given that a thought today."

"Liar." Emma snorted again. "Really, it's ok. I understand your inability to keep your hands off me."

Regina leapt up from her desk and snarled, actually snarled at her. "Miss Swan, kindly leave my office this instance!" She pointed to the door emphatically. "Before I do exactly as the woman in your dreams and force you into submission."

Emma stepped back and fought a grin. She stuffed her hands in her pockets and looked over the woman seething behind her desk. "Is that supposed to deter me?"

Regina blinked. "You said you didn't want her-"

"No, _her_, I don't want."

The brunette sighed and fought the hopeful shiver that ran up her back. "Sheriff, we are the same person. I don't know what leads you to believe otherwise."

"Stop." Emma said quietly. "The woman that took advantage of me in the dungeon and the woman that nursed me to health are two different people." She spoke as if explaining to a child. "That woman was harsh and controlling but this morning…" She looked down at her boots. "and for the past couple of days, you have been nothing but…gentle with me."

"Don't romanticize it." The brunette snapped back into mayor mode after shaking off the tender sound of Emma's words on her heart. "I touched you this morning because I wanted to. I was possessive just like the woman in the dream. I touched you without asking-"

"Without asking what? Permission?" Emma smiled. Regina blinked again and Emma continued. "I think the fact that you are pointing out a deficiency in that area distinguishes you from the Queen in my dreams."

"As I told you before," Regina refused to back down. She couldn't explain why it was so important that Emma understood her bad intentions. "Had you shown up chained in my dungeon, I would have done exactly what the Queen did to you; probably worse."

"I don't believe you would do that now." Emma shrugged. "You're different from her."

"You've never actually met her."

"But I have." Emma's eyes flashed. "She peeks through every now and then in your eyes when you're hurt or frustrated. I see her in the faces of my mother and father when they reminisce about the good-ole-days spent fighting you. I see her in the way the hush still falls in the diner when you walk in. I have met her on some level. But I know that the woman that took such good care of me and the woman that tried to rape me are not the same person."

"I fear that you have seriously misjudged me."

"I'm an excellent judge of character; it goes with my lie-detecting skills." Emma lifted her chin and smirked.

Regina really wanted to believe her. She glanced down at the paperwork and took her seat once more. "I'll have these done by tomorrow morning."


	11. Chapter 11

_Emma sat in front of a roaring fire. She was comfortably basking her toes in the warmth of the flames several feet from her chair when she heard a rustling of fabric. She craned her neck around the luxurious, high backed chair to see nothing. Shrugging it off, she turned back to the flames licking the logs decadently. Suddenly a chillingly familiar voice sounded in her ear._

_ "Just can't stay away."_

_ The blonde's heart leapt to her throat and she whirled to see the Queen standing with hands on her hips and garish (if enticing) cleavage thrust forward. Emma fought to master her emotions and anxiety as anticipation trickled into her veins. "I believe these are my dreams you are crashing. Isn't that breaking some sort of magic code or something?"_

_ The Queen shifted to settle into a chair opposite of Emma's that had not been there before. She arched a brow and pursed her lips much in the way her less threatening counterpart was apt to do. "When does evil play by the rules?"_

_ "Fair point." Emma conceded. She was hoping to keep the mesmerizing woman talking long enough to awaken herself before she could actually get her hands on her. "But why are you still visiting me? My body isn't having fever anymore; I'm not hallucinating. Why are you still interfering?"_

_ "I couldn't come calling on you if you didn't want me to."_

_ "Is that part of the magic code?"_

_ "It's simple magical physics. Like gravity or inertia. I wouldn't have the ability to do so if you were to completely block me out."_

_ "I have!" Emma shouted rising to her feet and stepping back. "You nearly raped me!"_

_ "Nearly? I believe I successfully violated you…but as I recall…" the Queen hummed in humor. "You weren't entirely unresponsive."_

_ Emma blushed but hoped the dim light cast by the fire would mask her humiliation. "Well, you can leave now. I have no need for you."_

_ "I disagree." The woman stood and stepped toward her. "I believe you _need_ me desperately."_

_ "Why would you say that?"_

_ "Because I'm the closest you'll ever get to crawling between your mayor's thighs." The remark was crude and crass and typically evil. Emma growled in her throat. "That's what you want isn't it, dear? To bed the illustrious Mayor of Storybrook? To wrap your fingers in those dark tresses and press your lips to that," She raised a hand and Emma couldn't help but follow it with her eyes as it stroked down her neck, over her collar bone, and into the soft swell of her breasts. "tender flesh?"_

_ "You don't know what I want." Whispered Emma in horror as the woman stepped forward and her own feet were glued to the floor. The brunette raked her hands up Emma's body and the blonde fought against the emotions rising to the surface. _

_ "Yes, I see it in your eyes. Lust is something I understand better than anyone. It's something that your beloved Regina understands as well. Do you think there is any tenderness to be had in her arms? Gentle lovemaking is not her Highness's style at all." The brunette smirked and leaned into the blonde's shivering body. She wrapped her red lips around the delicate flesh of her collarbone and bit down as she sucked, causing the blood to rise to the surface and bruise the creamy skin. _

_ "You don't know her." Emma found her voice against the Queen's neck as she continued to lick and suck painfully at the pulse-point next to her throat. "She's not like you."_

_ The Queen cackled. "You're a fool, Emma Swan. She's exactly like me." Dark eyes captured green for a moment and Emma could feel her pushing against her mind. Her tone softened slightly and the brunette backed up. "A bigger fool than I thought." She took another step back as apprehension and confusion leapt across her striking and cruel features. "You don't just lust after her; you care for her."_

Emma awoke, twisted in the sheets as her alarm clanged loudly in her ear. Sweat sheened on her body as she fought her heart rate. _What the fuck was that?_ She thought. _How is that woman still in my dreams?_ She didn't know how much more of the nightly visitations she could take. The blonde grumbled as she shut off the alarm and rose to get her son up and get ready for work.

Regina hefted the stack of papers and entered the police station. Her heels clicked purposefully in the hallway as she stepped through the door, "Sheriff…" she began but stopped when she took in the sight of Emma slumped over her desk, head on her hands and soft breaths fluttering her disheveled blonde curls. The brunette froze; unwilling to wake the slumbering blonde but equally unwilling to miss a chance to speak with her. _Wait, what? _Since when did Regina Mills seek out a conversation with Emma Swan? _Since I woke up in bed spooning her, _her subconscious answered for her. Pushing the thoughts away she slammed the door behind her and Emma sat bolt upright, spilling her coffee all over her shirt.

"Damn!" She hissed and stood, wiping the lukewarm liquid down her front and succeeding in spreading the stain.

Regina smirked. "Jumpy?"

"You slammed the door." Emma accused and went to the closet in the room to shuffle aside clothing as she looked for another shirt as hers was now dripping.

"You were sleeping."

"Yeah, well…." She rubbed her mouth to make sure there was no drool. "I didn't get much rest last night." Her voice darkened and Regina stepped into the room to drop the paperwork on her desk and sit in the chair opposite.

"I would have thought you would be recuperating from your illness."

"Me too." Emma pushed aside a few oversized shirts. "But…alas, it was not to be."

Regina considered her carefully. "Did you have company?"

"Yeah, I didn't tell you?" Emma looked at her over her shoulder. "My dating life has really picked up since the curse broke."

"Funny." The brunette returned without humor. "But I was referring to the Queen."

"I know what you were referring to." Emma finally settled on a sweatshirt and pulled it from the closet. "Yes, she can't seem to leave me alone."

Regina frowned and knit her brows. "But you're fever is gone."

"Yep."

"So you're not hallucinating?"

"I wish." Emma sighed. "Why is this happening, Regina? Is it magic? Because I'm pretty damn sure it's not normal whatever it is." She swept a hand through her hair and mopped her desk off with crumpled Granny's napkins left over from her hasty breakfast.

"Perhaps they're just nightmares?" Regina offered as her brain whirled and clicked, trying to make sense of all that was happening.

"Nightmares, huh? Do nightmares leave love bites?" Emma pulled her coffee stained shirt over her head and stood in her tank-top. She was somewhat startled by her own boldness and hadn't exactly planned on changing wardrobe in front of the Mayor but the look on shocked look on the brunette's face was priceless.

She leapt out of her chair and strode to the blonde. Taking her chin in her hand she jerked her head away to stare at the hicky on her neck. "But how…?"

"You tell me." Emma huffed. Trying to ignore the gentle but firm pressure of Regina's hands on her skin.

"She marked you." The words sounded dangerous and husky coming from the brunette and a shiver crept up Emma's spine. "That bitch marked you as hers." Was that jealousy that Emma heard?

"I wouldn't say I'm her's-" The blonde began.

"No, you are most definitely not." The brunette ran a finger over the bruise and then released her before stepping back. "You don't belong to her."

"So how do I stop this?"

"We need to figure out how it is happening to stop it."

"Alright." Emma's voice was muffled as she pulled the sweatshirt over her head. "So how is this happening? Is it anything like the 'burning room' that the victims of the sleeping curse go to when they sleep?"

Regina winced at the thought of Henry's nightmares and her hand in their origin. "Perhaps, does this happen every time you go to sleep?"

"No, just when I'm sleeping deeply."

"When you're most vulnerable." Regina confirmed in a quiet voice. "She's getting past your defenses somehow."

"But what _is_ she?"

Regina stepped back and sat down in her chair again as she watched Emma pace. "She's not real."

"Not real?!" Emma rounded on her in agitation. "She gave me a fucking hicky! She literally sucked my neck with her luscious little mouth until she burst blood vessels!"

"Luscious?" Regina couldn't hide her smirk.

"Not funny, it's an expression." Emma mumbled. "The point is, she's real enough to really hurt me. What if she actually…you know…tries to…" she trailed off with a shiver.

"That's not going to happen." Regina's voice went hard and cold as she stared deeply into Emma's eyes and the blonde remembered the evil woman doing the same to her last night. "As I was saying, she doesn't exist outside your mind. She's real, but not with an actual sense of physical embodiment."

"Right. So how do you fight a dream?"

"There are ways." Regina said vaguely.

"It didn't work out so well for those kids on Elm Street." Emma muttered. "So she only exists in my mind, attacks me when I'm weakest, and can do me real, physical harm. But how did she get there?"

"Perhaps she's an embodiment of your version of the Evil Queen." Regina said quietly. "You possess magical ability; that makes you more sensitive and aware of the intangible things in life. Perhaps she does exist in Storybrook and the Enchanted Forest but only as an idea or a pure form of energy."

"Like a ghost?"

"Like an amalgamation of everyone's perception of the Evil Queen." The brunette shrugged. "Why she is targeting your rather than your mother or Henry, however is beyond me."

"The magic thing?"

"Perhaps," Regina cocked her head to the side and stared into space. "But she has some connection with you; she seeks you out specifically."

"Couldn't be my animal magnetism?" Emma joked nervously and Regina stared. "That was a joke, Mayor."

"But it could be true."

"The Evil Queen wants to seduce me?"

"If she thinks that you and I are…involved, I could very well see her desiring that. It would make her marking you make sense. She thought it would bother me." Regina pursed her lips in thought. "Does she ask about me?"

Emma looked down to hide the blush creeping up her face. "She mostly just harasses me, but yeah, she talks about how you two are similar-."

"-We are."

"-and I defend you." The blonde finished over her.

"I bet she doesn't like that. I'm sure that only eggs her on. If she believes that we…care for one another, it would only serve to rile her even more."

"What do you suggest I do? Renounce you and throw myself at her?" Emma snorted in exasperation.

"Of course not." Regina snapped and glared. "But we need to find a way to deter her from stepping into your dreams so candidly." Emma watched the face of the older woman with interest as a shiver of apprehension ran up her spine. What was the brunette planning? The blonde seriously doubted it would come with no heavy price from herself.

Emma tipped into the sofa and popped a beer as Henry sat and finished his homework quietly. He looked up and regarded her for a moment. "Ma, you still look tired."

"It's been a long few days, kid." She returned. _And nights_, she thought to herself.

"If you need another vacation at Mom's house, I'm sure she would like the company. I know I had a great time over there with both of you. Maybe we could start doing dinner all together or something?" his hopeful voice made her smile and his wistful grin made her heart ache for him.

"Yeah, Henry. I think we could work that out with your mom."

He looked up at her slyly before proceeding. "I think she doesn't hate you anymore."

"Good, I don't hate her either."

"She actually laughed the other night and it wasn't that Evil Queen laugh she used to do around you to make you mad."

Emma remembered the throaty rumble that Regina had treated her to and grinned a bit. "Yeah, she's funny. Who knew?"

"She used to be like that, ya know?" Henry ducked his head back to his homework. Almost talking to himself. Emma didn't press.

"Well, maybe she's getting back to that. She seemed pretty relaxed the other night during the movie."

He looked up and she winked at him. "Yeah, I've never seen her lean on someone. It was weird. You two were fighting kinda during the card game and then she was cuddled up-"

"I don't know that cuddled is the right word." Emma felt her face flush but Henry shrugged.

"Anyway, you both seemed to have a good time. I think you actually like one another; you just can't admit it."

Emma smiled at her son's presumptuousness. _Just like Regina_. She pushed the thought away as he smirked up at her. She narrowed her green eyes. "I do enjoy spending time with your mom. She's smart and has a wicked sense of humor and she's really fast on her feet."

"Her feet?" He asked.

"It's an expression. It means that she can joke back with me really quickly and catch me off-guard. Not many people can do that to me."

"And that's a good thing? Her catching you off-guard?"

Emma's mouth twisted up again as she failed to suppress another smile. "Yeah, it's not fun to joke with someone that can't get you back." She took a sip of her half-full beer and checked the clock. "Bout finished with homework? It's almost bedtime."


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N-_ I'm happy to report that this is the last of Emma's "Queen-related" nightmares. It seems our dear Evil Queen cannot receive quite as well as she doles out.

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_Emma found herself bound to a luxurious bed. Her arms stretched out wide and her wrists trapped in silken ties. Clad only in lacy, red undies and with the room bathed in candlelight, she rolled her eyes warily. Sighing inwardly she glanced around, scanning the shadows. Knowing what was coming next. "Show yourself, bitch." She growled._

_ A chuckle came from the corner as the Queen stepped into the light and her dark eyes roamed the bound blonde. "You look absolutely delicious spread out on my bed."_

_ "Well, I would like to say it's a step up from the dungeon…but as the company hasn't improved…" Emma let the implication hang in the air as the Queen smiled in a most feline manner._

_ She tisked. "Miss Swan, that mouth of yours will get you into trouble." She strode closer and Emma could see that she was dressed in black silk with a plunging neckline and jewels glittering down her throat. _

_ "So go ahead and punish me."_

_ "I will."_

_ "It won't matter." Emma shrugged as much as her bindings would allow. _

_ "How is that, dear?" The Queen sat down on the bed and inched cold fingers up her shin toward her thigh. Emma stilled her beating heart._

_ "Because I don't belong to you and I never will. No matter how you use me, no matter how you mark me. I'm not yours to possess."_

_ "Whoses are you then?" The woman mounted her; straddling her hips in a smooth fashion and raking long nails down her stomach painfully. "The Mayor's?" her eyes glittered maliciously. "You belong to her, do you not?"_

_ "I don't belong to anyone. My heart isn't something that can be claimed." Emma said simply. "It can't be taken and used. I can give it; but you'll never have it."_

_ "You can't give what you don't have. The Mayor already has your heart." She leaned in and her cleavage pressed at her thin silk dress. "But no matter, it's not your heart I want." She took a fistful of Emma's hair and jerked her head to the side without warning before clamping her teeth down on her ear viciously._

_ The blonde bit back a moan as her body responded of its own accord. "She'll get you for this, you know that don't you?" She gasped, hoping to threaten the brunette astride her as her mouth worked down her neck to bite at her throat. _

_ The brunette chuckled against her flesh. "And where is she now, Emma? Where is your mayor now as I make you mine?"_

_ "Wondering how the hell you get off presuming ownership." Came a husky voice behind the Queen. The brunette and the blonde bound to the bed looked up in surprise as Regina stepped around the bed and leveled her eyes at the Queen before staring pointedly at the hand cupping Emma's breast through her bra. "I'm only going to ask you once, Your Majesty," She sounded calm enough but her eyes glinted purple. "Take your hands off of her."_

_ The Queen regained her composure and snarled. "Make me."_

_ Regina sighed and flicked a hand casually. The Queen went flying backward and landed with a resounding thump in a cushy chair beside the bed. Chains leapt up and shackled her down as she struggled against the cushions of the seat. "I would have shared, you know." Her eyes flicked over Regina's body and then returned to Emma lustfully._

_ "Regina?" Emma asked tentatively. "Are you real?"_

_ "What do you think?" The brunette advanced on her, crawling up the bed slowly to lay between Emma's thighs. _

_ The blonde's heart was hammering emphatically in her chest as she looked down at the familiar brunette. She looked into her eyes and saw the conflicted, torturous gaze that she had come to associate with the mayor. "What are you going to do now?"_

_ "I'm going to teach Her Majesty a lesson." She said and raised up to kiss the blonde softly and tenderly. Emma resisted at first but Regina's hands fluttered up her stomach to cup her breasts and move further up to stroke her neck. Emma opened to her and allowed Regina's tongue to coax her own into a swirling, passionate kiss._

_ When Regina pulled back, they both were breathless. The Queen growled. "You're soft."_

_ The brunette's gaze never left the green eyes of the woman below her. "You catch more flies with honey." She said and then cut her gaze to the struggling woman in the chair. "You are so young." She said almost mournfully. "You don't understand that tenderness can be passionate. That gentility can be satisfying." Regina looked back down at Emma who licked her lips. "But you're about to understand those things." She leaned down for another kiss and Emma captured her lips with her own. Exploring the warm recesses of the woman's mouth until the blonde felt dizzy._

_ Regina kissed gently down her neck and pressed tender kisses to the bruises that the Queen had left behind. Her tongue made its way down Emma's chest and she reached under her to unsnap the red bra that covered her breasts. Emma squirmed slightly in the unabashed gaze of the woman above her. _

_ The Queen snarled faintly as Regina took Emma's nipples between her fingers and rolled the delicately back and forth. The blonde arched in reaction and pressed her hips up into Regina's heat. The brunette looked down and smiled before turning to the Queen. "You see? She responds to me not because I demand it, but because I ask it." She caressed her flesh before leaning down and taking one nipple into her mouth._

_ Emma moaned, and heard the bound woman panting slightly to her left. She glanced sideways to see the Queen licking her lips and wrenching at her chains angrily. "Just take her already." The woman growled at Regina who laughed lightly, feathering warm breath against Emma's sensitive skin. _

_ "You're not enjoying our little show?" The mayor asked, trailing kisses down the blonde's taut stomach to pluck at the red lace panties with her teeth. Causing Emma to stir and squirm from the pressure building inside her._

_ The Queen hissed but dark eyes watched as she coaxed Emma's panties down her legs and pressed them open. The blonde resisted at first as she looked up at the dark woman rising above her in her black nightshirt. "Regina…" she whispered and watched in wonder as lust flickered across the woman's face. "Is this really happening?" She questioned, acutely aware of both sets of dark eyes hungrily roaming her body._

_ The brunette caressed down her body, fingertips glancing the stiffened peaks of her nipples before tripping down her stomach to ruffle the small patch of dark blonde hair at the apex of her thighs. "Does it matter?" She asked and the blonde frowned slightly, not understanding the question._

_ "It's either real or it's not." She returned, fighting the urge to buck into the brunette's hand when it stroked up the inside of her thigh to brush her swollen folds. _

_ "But would it matter either way? Would the fact that this could be real deter you?" Regina's eyes were dark with lust and…something else. The Queen made an impatient noise beside her and rattled the metal at her wrists._

_ Emma looked up, raising green eyes up to meet the brown. "No." She said finally and then gasped when Regina's fingers spread her heat and stroked up the length of her sex._

_ "Mmm." Came what seemed to be an involuntary noise from the brunette as she brought her hand away; arousal glistening on her fingers. She held them out to the Queen who licked them greedily. "See what tenderness gets you?"_

_ "I warmed her up for you." The woman snarled as the mayor took her fingers back._

_ Emma's anger riled. "Warmed me up? You mean stripped me down and tied me up?"_

_ "Something like that."_

_ The blonde looked up at Regina. "Untie me." The brunette hesitated and frowned down at her._

_ "See?" The bound woman said to the blonde from her chair. "She's all talk, she'll be gentle so long as you do what she says."_

_ The Mayor shot the Queen a nasty look and snapped her fingers. The silk binding Emma released and reappeared around the Queen's mouth. "You talk too much, my dear." She said before turning back to Emma. "You're released, what now?"_

_ The blonde looked up for a moment before rolling them over quickly. Regina looked startled at the new position and shot a glance to the Queen. But the woman was no longer struggling. She was looking on in horror and fascination. Emma noticed too. "Didn't you say something about a dose of her own medicine?"_

_ "I did."_

_ "I think we should try a new prescription."_

_ Regina's eyes flashed. "What did you have in mind?"_

_ "Let's demonstrate to her what it's really like to show passion." The blonde responded and dipped her head to capture Regina's mouth in a dizzying kiss. The brunette responded with enthusiasm as Emma's hands found her nipples through the satin fabric of her nightshirt and pinched them tenderly. The sensation of the blonde's hands as well as the smooth friction of the clothing caused the mayor to arch up into the blonde's awaiting mouth._

_ Emma clamped teeth gently around the bud and laved at it through the shirt. Regina hissed and held her head there, making fists in the blonde curls. Emma looked up when the Queen groaned and flashed her a knowing smile before turning back to her double beneath her. "Show me what you want." She whispered quietly and the mayor stilled; looking up into the green eyes above her. Without a word, she tugged her back down and urged her head to her other breast. Emma obliged her readily._

_ When the hands in her hair began to tug her lower, the blonde smiled and hooked thumbs in Regina's silky underwear to pull them down and off. When she had stripped her of them and the brunette wore only her gown, Emma reached out and held the delicate underwear out to the Queen. The dark woman's pupils dilated as she smelled her own musk. She growled at Emma and lunged up only to be immobilized by the chains. The blonde dropped the offered treat in her lap, shrugged and turned back to find Regina watching her. _

_ With a smile on her lips, Emma dove face first into her heat without preamble. The blonde moaned at the wetness and sultry taste of the brunette's sex as the woman cried out in surprise and rocked her hips upward. Emma plundered her, taking her hard and fast to the lucid peak of pleasure. She responded to all of Regina's small sounds and urging touches. "Oh, Emma." She whispered as one hand cupped the back of the woman's head and the other fisted in that glorious golden hair. _

_ Emma slowed down and licked lazily up and down her heat as she held her in the distended moment before orgasm. She could see the pleasure in the woman's eyes and cut a sideways glance to the Queen where she sat writhing on the seat of the chair. The frustrated brunette rubbed her thighs together; attempting to relive the tension in her body. Their eyes connected as Emma leaned down and trailed the tip of her tongue up the sodden folds of the prone woman beneath her. The Queen growled. "You want to see her come?" She asked her, heart beating loudly against her chest._

_ "Mmm!" The woman responded and Regina's hand tugged Emma to look up at her. A steely glint was in her eye. _

_ Emma smirked at her and turned back to her double. "Then watch her face." She said finally and plunged back into the soft folds of her lover. She licked and teased the hardened nub of her clit until Regina bucked with every glance of contact._

_ "Mmm!" The Queen groaned and Regina let out a similar noise._

_ "Emma…please."_

_ The blonde moaned against her and pulled the bud into her mouth; licking and flicking and sucking it mercilessly while simultaneously slipping two fingers easily into her body. Regina stiffened, tugged her hair hard and then cried out in release. Her hips pumped and her body stiffened. "Emma." She panted and the blonde raised up to press her face to her neck and wiggle her fingers to prolong the pleasure racking her body. _

_ She slumped back and Emma slipped two fingers out before licking them clean. She turned to gloat at the Queen who sat watching them with an odd expression on her face. Emma lay down and rolled Regina atop her to stroke down her supple body. The brunette stirred and looked down at her as if surprised to find Emma still in the bed. She turned her head to the Queen and smirked. _

_ "Not exactly what I was expecting." Regina said to her. "But worth the surprise." She smiled and then shuddered as Emma's fingers found the extremely ticklish area on her lower back. _

_ "You ok?"_

_ "Just ticklish." She said._

_ "Here?" Emma's fingers found the spot again and Regina shivered before pinning her hands to her sides. _

_ "Yes. Watch yourself, Miss Swan." Her voice rang with authority then softened as she looked down at the blonde beneath her. "I think we taught our friend something, don't you?"_

_ Emma smiled and then turned to the chair; it was empty. She sat up abruptly as Regina rolled from her body lithely and walked to the seat. "Where did she go?" Emma asked._

_ "Back where she came from. She won't bother you anymore." The brunette said and watched Emma closely; her face was difficult to read._

_ "So did this all really happen?"_

_ "You said it didn't matter."_

_ Emma shrugged. "I guess it doesn't, but for the sake of argument…"_

_ Regina considered her and placed her hands on her narrow hips. "I suppose it didn't actually happen, Miss Swan. We are in your head after all." The scene faded._


	13. Chapter 13

Emma fought with herself that entire morning and into the afternoon. Should she tell Regina? She got the idea that the Queen wouldn't be returning to punish her but did Regina already know that? Had that been the real brunette in her dream or had it been some phantom of her imagination? She thought back to the passion and tenderness that passed between them and shivered. She could remember exactly how the woman felt wrapped around her fingers and the hands threaded in her hair. She could hear the small noises and deeper groans of Regina as she had pleasured her. How could she dream that if she didn't know what that was like?

After dinner that night, her parents were taking Henry to the movies. Emma decided she would drop in on the mayor and see if she could detect any difference in her demeanor. The blonde trotted the few blocks to the mayor's office after locking up the station. It was after hours but something told her she was more likely to find Regina in her office than at her house. She let herself in and climbed the stairs.

Regina looked up when the knock sounded on her door. She rearranged her face into a disdainful expression. "Come in." The blonde stepped through the door and Regina's eyes sparkled. "Good evening, Sheriff Swan."

"Mayor." Emma nodded.

"To what do I owe this visit?"

"I have a….new development with the…Evil Queen thing." Emma stepped forward and shoved her hands in her pockets.

"Yes?" Regina stood and came around her desk to perch her rump on it as she listened. "What is that?"

"Well, she visited me last night and bound me up like before." She looked down at the floor. "She was preparing to do what she usually does but you showed up."

"Me?" Regina asked curiously and Emma searched her face. She couldn't tell what the woman was thinking behind that stone mask of hers.

"Yes, you came and fought her."

"Did I? What did I do?"

Emma felt all the air leave the room. "Well, you said you would teach her a lesson and then you chained her to a chair before….touching me."

"Hmm, yes. That would be a fitting punishment for her."

"So it wasn't you?"

"What do you mean, dear?" Regina asked studying her nails casually.

Emma's heart hammered. "You didn't actually show up? Was the Regina that I saw made up in my mind?"

"Perhaps she was an entity of energy just as the Evil Queen was. Formed to help you fight her." Regina's eyes raked over the blonde's blushing form as Emma stood torn between running out of the office with her head down and demanding that the woman look up and explain herself; if Regina would only look up and answer the damn question, Emma would know if she was lying. "What made you think she was real?"

"She just was." Emma shrugged. "Her voice, her expressions, her overall attitude were yours. She even…" She hesitated but decided that she had played all her cards anyway. "She even smelled like you."

"Back to sniffing out the culprit, Miss Swan?"

"We've had this conversation before, you have a distinct smell." The blonde muttered and blushed furiously.

Regina looked up and smirked before speaking. "So was I any good, Miss Swan? This dream version of myself?"

"What do you mean?" But Emma knew and Regina knew that Emma knew. The brunette smiled broadly.

"Well, I just would _hate_ to think that your run in with my dream-self was unfulfilling. Tell me that I was at least an adequate lover."

Emma narrowed her eyes and stepped forward. She was not in the mood to be goaded. Especially about something so personal. Deciding to turn the tables, she crowded Regina's space and pressed her close to the desk. "Oh yes, you were. But I actually did most of the work." She smiled as the smirk faltered on the brunette's face. "We decided it would be the most supreme torture for the Queen to watch you submit to me."

"Submit? I don't submit, Miss Swan." Regina's steely tone was threatening.

"You did last night; I had you shaking and begging within moments." She stepped between her thighs and Regina realized too late that she had been standing with feet too far apart in her defensive posture.

"I highly doubt that-"

"And when you came, it was like the earth moved."

Their faces were close now. So close that Regina could see the precise shade of green in Emma's eyes and feel her breath on her face and neck. "Miss Swan, that is highly inappropriate. Obviously, your dream version of me is not as accurate as first thought."

"There's only one way to know." Emma smirked, hit with sudden realization. "Tell me, Mayor, are you ticklish?"

Regina's brows knit before fear flickered in her eyes. "Excuse me?" She put hands on Emma's shoulders to push her away but the blonde grabbed them, wrenched them around and spun the brunette to press her over her desk. "Miss Swan!" Regina gasped out and fought.

"In my dream, the mayor was very ticklish." She whispered and pressed her hips to Regina's ass as the struggling woman reached back to grab her thighs with her hands.

"I'm not ticklish." She panted. "That's something your mind made up."

"Liar." Emma grabbed a fistful of her blouse and pulled it up to reveal her smooth, muscled lower back. Two, symmetrical dimples presented themselves and Emma dipped her finger into one. Regina stiffened and fought again with more fury.

"Stop!" She brought her hands to the desk to press her shoulders up but Emma still had her lower half trapped as she danced her fingertips across her lower back. Regina squirmed at the torturous sensation of the blonde's hands on the sensitive flesh and growled in her throat. "I said stop!"

"You _are _ticklish." Emma breathed before spinning her around again and looking down into her flushed face. "It _was_ you in my dream last night." Regina leveled a defiant stare at her and the blonde, past her breaking point, growled and spun her back around to trap her as before. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"And miss a prime opportunity to drive you insane?" Came the pithy retort as she fought for her freedom.

"As I recall, I was not the one clinging to sanity last night." Emma was rewarded with the image of a flush creeping up Regina's back. "I distinctly remember you calling my name."

"It was for effect. I wanted the Queen to understand that…she can't simply take what she wants."

"Right, tenderness." Emma used one hand to trap Regina's hands behind her back and the other to stroke down her rounded ass. "Well, I think she learned her lesson. But I will say that you surprised me."

"Surprised you?" Regina was having a difficult time focusing on the blonde's words as strong hands caressed her.

"Yes, you were _actually_ a very patient and soft lover."

"Well, I could have hardly taken you hard and fast while preaching gentility, could I?" Regina struggled against her as her skirt rose a few inches and Emma's probing fingers trailed up her inner thigh. "Apparently this cannot be said for you."

"You're a tease and I think you deserve to learn a lesson just as Her Majesty did."

Regina's mouth went dry. "I hardly think that's-"

"Besides, I distinctly remember giving you everything you asked for last night." Her voice was close to her ear now as she bent over her. Regina shivered at the feel of Emma's hands on her soft flesh as her fingers inched closer to her already wet panties.

"I didn't ask-"

"Of course you did." Emma laughed. "You guided me with your hands and sounds." Regina felt her face burn against the coolness of the desk. "And because I was so chivalrous and gave you everything you asked for; now it's my turn."

"I offered my services last night-"

"Who said anything about _your_ services?" This quieted the brunette once again. "Now, if you will shut up, I'm going fuck you on your desk; something I've been dying to do since the first time I saw you sitting behind it."

Emma didn't let her words sink in. Instead, she moved aside the satiny panties and pressed two fingers into the mayor's heat finding there was no resistance. Regina hissed at the smooth intrusion and forced herself to lie still and impassive as Emma pumped in and out. The resolution didn't last long however, because the blonde picked up the pace and placed a thigh between her legs to make contact with her clit.

Regina gasped at the contact and pressed herself up, lifting her hips from the desk to seek more contact. Emma slapped her ass and pressed her back down. "Sheriff!" Regina's startled voice was full of surprise and arousal.

"Calm yourself, Madam Mayor." Emma whispered in her ear and then flexed her wrist to pick up the tempo. She shifted her weight so that her thigh was pressed more firmly against Regina's clit. "Now grind." She growled and Regina snarled. She received another slap on the ass. "Grind, because if not, you're not getting anything else from me."

The brunette's cheeks flamed in embarrassment and need. But when Emma lifted her leg to press against her clit forcefully, Regina moaned and pressed down to do just as Emma asked. She rubbed her sensitive folds up and down the blonde's muscular thigh through the material. Gyrating her hips and moaning, Regina could see the peak coming closer and closer as Emma's fingers penetrated her, gliding through the moisture with little resistance.

The brunette cleared her throat. "Three."

"What?"

"I can take three." She said again and shut her eyes as Emma pulled out and stared down at her.

"Three…." She whispered and looked down at the still, fully clothed woman below her. "Fuck, Regina." She plunged three fingers into the woman's heat and turned them so that she could press against her g-spot.

A ragged breath came from the mayor as she raked her fingernails down the wood of her desk and picked up the tempo of her grinding motion. "Oh, I want…" She trailed off, hardly believing the words that were coming from her mouth or the desperate way in which she clutched her desk.

"What do you want?"

"I want to…come." She finally choked out and Emma hummed in appreciation and agreement.

"Then make yourself." The blonde pressed her thigh higher into Regina's heat so that she didn't have to work quite so hard before pressing her fingers into her and holding them there. "Move against me." She instructed and put one hand on her hip, guiding her forward and then backward onto the three digits.

Regina didn't need telling twice. She rocked and ground and thrust backward, angling her body so that Emma's fingers glanced her most sensitive spot with every pass. She pressed her shoulders off the table and impaled herself on the long tapered fingers as her orgasm took her. Emma removed her thigh and grabbed her around the waist to hold her up as she stiffened and cried out in ecstasy. Wiggling her fingers as she had before, until she felt a rush of liquid spill into her hand. Regina panted and lowered herself to the desk top as Emma stepped back and surveyed the damage.

Regina's skirt was pushed nearly up to her ribs and her panties were askew on her shapely ass. The brunette's legs were trembling as she braced herself to the desk for support. Emma chuckled inwardly at the sight of liquid dripping down the woman's thighs to run to her calves. She had never seen anyone come so hard in her life and she smirked as she realized it had been her doing.

Regina finally stood and shifted her skirt back to its appropriate place before looking down and realizing that her she had liquid running down her legs. She looked down in bewilderment; that had never happened before. She shook it off and looked up into the infuriating face of the blonde before her and opened her mouth.

But Emma began to chuckle. "Any reprimand that you have or pithy insult you're dying to throw, just save it for a time that you're not looking so…" she trailed off, trying to find the right word.

"So what, Miss Swan?" Regain tried to seem unaffected.

"So thoroughly fucked."

"Your crudeness never ceases to amaze me."

"I have other attributes that would awe you as well." Emma stepped closer and was rewarded with a retreating step from the brunette. "Scared?"

"Hardly." She turned and rounded her desk. "In fact, it is you who should be nervous."

"How do you figure that?"

"Well, that's twice you have stopped me from touching you. I don't take kindly to being told 'no'. I will have what I want."

"And you want me."

"I want to reduce you to a quivering mess of unadulterated lust and need." Regina stated matter-of-factly.

"Well," Emma blinked. "I like it when you get to the point."

"I'll get to more than the point before I'm through with you." She answered easily and sat down behind her desk, inwardly wincing at the strange feeling of her cold, wet panties pressed against her still feverish skin.

A shiver of apprehension caused goosebumps to break out across Emma's skin. It was true, Regina usually got what she wanted and if what she wanted was Emma…well, the blonde had bitten off more than she could chew. "I'm not that easy, Regina. You can't just knock on my door and demand my attention."

"We'll see." The brunette smirked.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N- Yes, dear readers I have neglected my literature (epic sigh), but here is a small, fluffy, family oriented chapter to appease you. More is coming...if you catch my drift :)

Emma helped her parents load up the last of the random grab bags into the Uhaul. She wedged the duffle bag containing the coffee maker, shampoo, and toothpaste into the back of the van as Snow turned to her with wetness in her eyes. Emma's stomach lurched as it always did when it came to intense emotion. She looked down and became quickly interested in her fingernails.

"Emma, I just don't want you to feel…abandoned." She said quietly, picking the trail up on a conversation they had had several times over the past week once Emma had come home from the mayoral manor.

"Mom." She said in a tone reminiscent of her son. "I found the house for you. It's a few minutes across town. I'm sure we'll survive." She smiled at the brunette who folded her into a tight hug. Emma had somewhat been expecting this and had just enough time to relax the stiffness in her body and hug her back awkwardly.

"I know…it's just that I can't help but to feel that we have just found each other and settled in together and now James and I are moving-"

"No offense or anything, but it was getting a little crowded anyway. It will be more normal if we don't live in the apartment all packed together. It will make spending time together more special." Emma smiled.

She really had no qualms about James and Snow moving out. It meant more room for her and Henry. It meant more hot water in the morning. It meant not walking in to find her parents doing the mattress mumbo. Yep, Emma could only see positive attributes to this arrangement.

Henry sidled up and leaned in on her a bit. She looked down and ruffled his hair in her characteristic way. He grinned up and then looked at Snow. "It's not like we'll be a million miles away, Grandma. We'll be close."

"You're right, Henry. It's just that we got so used to all living together."

The boy shrugged. "Yeah, but it's not like Mom's five or something."

"Henry-" Emma said with a warning note in her voice. She had recently cracked down on his penchant to say whatever the hell he wanted. He looked up with chagrin but Snow smiled.

"You're right again, Henry. She's an adult. She doesn't need us as parents. She needs us as friends." Snow looked back up at her and smiled warmly. "And friends have no problem living across town from one another."

Emma sighed a breath of relief. She was glad that had finally been resolved with very little work on her part. For once she was thankful for Henry's impulsive mouth. She looked down at him and ruffled his hair again. "Is your overnight bag packed?"

"Yep."

"Go get it." She patted his shoulder and he took off to the house. Emma turned to her mother. "Thanks for taking him; I really just need a night to unwind myself. This week has been exhausting." She tucked a hair behind her ear.

"No problem, he can help us unpack." Snow smiled.

"I don't know how much help he'll actually be." Emma grinned. "But he'll do anything for a chocolate milkshake."

Snow laughed and then looked at her daughter. "How are you feeling? I know that last week you were really sick according to Henry. I know that…." She trailed off a moment and regarded the blonde seriously. "I know that Regina took care of you."

"She did."

"Going to the doctor didn't cross your mind?"

Emma cocked a grin. "I don't do the doctor."

"But you do…" Snow stopped and frowned, considering what it was that she was about to say. "I mean to say, Regina was a better option?"

"In this case, she was." Emma shrugged. "No one looked for me at her house. She canceled all her work for two days to tend to me."

"But why?"

"Henry."

"That's a lot of work to simply make Henry happy."

Emma turned to her mother. "I think she was trying to repay me." She shrugged again. "I did save her life more than once and I think she was trying to pay me back for it. She's trying to change." The last sentence was softer and Snow regarded her curiously.

"I've noticed. I want to trust this…"

"But you've been burned by her far too many times."

"It's different this time though." Snow said thoughtfully as Henry trotted down the steps with his bag and his grandfather. "She seems…softer than before. Raising Henry has softened her heart; as black as it still may be." She added as an afterthought and then turned to her daughter with more knowing in her eyes than Emma was comfortable with. She shifted her feet nervously. "But she's definitely going to need someone with a great deal of patience and will to help her along."

"Right, well, I'll post a sign up and we can have open auditions." She smirked and Snow rolled her eyes with a broad smile.

"I'm sure we will be turning people away at the door."

"For what?" Henry asked as he came strolling up.

Snow and Emma exchanged a brief glance. "For helping us move in." Snow jumped forward and tickled him mercilessly as James took his bag and swung him up into the Uhaul.

The man stepped forward and squeezed his daughter's arm. "See you tomorrow? House warming party, remember?"

"Wouldn't miss it for anything."

"See ya, Mom." Henry called.

"Bye, Henry." Emma waved and turned to Snow. "Bye, Mom."

"See you tomorrow."


	15. Chapter 15

Emma let herself back into her now empty apartment and grabbed a beer from the fridge. She sat down on her couch and kicked off her boots. The television flickered on and Emma relaxed as she sipped her beer. A knock on the door had her smirking. Sure that Henry had forgotten something, she sighed, stood, and made her way to the door.

"Forget your underwear-?" Emma laughed and swung the door open. She leveled her gaze at the height of Henry's eyes to find that she was staring at a well-dressed bust line.

"That's for me to know, Miss Swan." Regina smirked and Emma's eyes slid up her body to meet the brown ones glittering playfully.

"Regina, I thought you were Henry."

"Easy mistake." She stepped inside and hung her coat on the rack.

"He just left with my parents and I thought he had forgotten something." Emma babbled. She was still surprised by the mayor's sudden appearance. Emma had been successfully avoiding the woman all week and so to be surprised by her casually stepping through the door of her conspicuously empty apartment was disconcerting to say the least.

"Yes, I noticed the procession as I drove home from work. I thought perhaps you might be on your own tonight." The woman's eyes lit with a predatory glint and Emma felt like a three-legged, baby antelope facing a lioness.

"Right." Emma said and rocked on her bare heels a bit. Suddenly conscious of her bright green bra glaringly visible through her white tank. "Would you like a beer? Or was there something important that the mayor needed to discuss that couldn't wait till tomorrow?"

"I definitely think we have things to…discuss." She rolled the word off her tongue seductively and stepped further into the room. Emma moved around the island to keep the counter between them. "But I wouldn't say no to a beer."

"Great!" Emma reached in the fridge and took out a bottle. "You want it in the bottle or-?" She turned back to find Regina on her side of the counter, leaned casually against it on her elbows so that her button-up, silk blouse stretched a bit over her chest and strained against the lace camisole underneath.

The blonde's eyes dropped to the small amount of cleavage showing and then down at the floor as she held out the beer to the woman. The gesture was not lost on Regina. Neither was the fact that Emma had practically been running from her all week. It seemed the usually brave sheriff feared the mayor's wrath.

"The bottle is fine, Miss Swan." Regina smirked as Emma passed her the bottle opener. She popped the top of the beer and took a long pull on the beverage.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

Regina cocked her head as the blonde scampered back across the bar and sat down on a stool. "Well, let's see." Regina tapped her red lips with a finger. "We could discuss the paperwork you have turned in this week: It's subpar, even for you, dear." Emma flushed. "Or we could talk about your inability to respond to my emails and phone calls." She arched a brow and the blonde took a swig of her drink to hide her flushed face. "Or we could talk about the fact that you overstepped your boundaries in my place of work."

Emma just shrugged and took another pull on her beer. "Do you want me to apologize?"

"Of course not." Regina smirked. "I would be severely disappointed if you apologized."

Emma nearly choked on her beer. "W-what?"

"Oh, Sheriff Swan." The brunette smiled with a feral show of teeth. "If you think your little show of power in my office injured my delicate sensibilities, you have grossly misjudged what I'm capable of."

Emma's blood ran cold and her heart began to race. "Well, I just thought-"

"That I would be angry? Or seek vengeance?"

"Well, yeah."

Regina sipped her beer and leaned over the counter, exposing more of her cleavage. Emma longed to run her tongue up the valley between her mounds. "I'm not angry." Regina grinned menacingly again. "But I do think you owe penance."

"Penance?" Emma gulped.

"Of course. You're not about to get away with treating me that way. One does not handle a Queen such as myself in that manner."

"Really?" Emma asked, her wit kicking in finally, "because that's exactly the way I would imagine a Queen being handled." She pulled on her beer. Regina smirked and stood, placing her hands on the counter and drumming her nails with disdain. Emma's mouth watered to think about those nails trailing up and down her flesh.

"And how many Queens have you bedded?"

"Does your desk count?" Emma smiled.

"No."

"Then none, yet."

"And you assert that Henry got his presumptuousness from me?"

"He did. You waltzed into my apartment assuming what?" Emma asked. "That I was just going to get on my knees and beg for mercy?"

"That's not exactly what I had in mind, but if that's what you like…" Regina smirked at the flash of desire in the younger woman's eyes. "It can definitely be arranged."

Emma blushed; unwilling to admit just how much that imagery appealed to her. Visions of Regina mounting her face as she kneeled before her; the black pencil skirt hiked up and long nails raking down her scalp and neck had Emma's face flushing. As if reading her mind, Regina made her way around the bar slowly until the blonde turned the barstool and the older woman stood nearly between her thighs.

"Well, if you're going to punish me, get on with it." Emma said, hoping she sounded nonchalant and that her breathlessness wasn't discernible. The smirk on Regina's face widened, if possible, even more.

"Hmm…" She trailed her fingers along Emma's jean-clad thigh and the blonde fought a shudder that slipped up her back. "You like that idea don't you?"

"What makes you think that?"

"It's the second time you've mentioned punishment."

"Guilty conscience." Emma asserted as the brunette leaned in to feather breath along her neck and the shell of her ear.

"Yes, guilt can _eat you_ up." Regina purred and clamped her teeth lightly onto Emma's earlobe. The blonde bit back a moan as she inhaled the scent that was her lover.

"Yeah, so get on with it. Because I've got stuff to do tomorrow and I need to get in bed early-"

"Miss Swan, if you do not shut up, I will gag you."

"Oh." Emma shuddered as sharp nails dug into her thighs. The image of Regina binding her and gagging her had a river of moisture rushing to her center.

"Or perhaps…" the brunette licked the shell of her ear and kissed down her neck gently. "I'll use your need to speak for my own benefit."

"How so?"

"How was it that you said I smelled?"


	16. Chapter 16

A/N- Thank you for all of the reviews, as well as your patience. I hope you have enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Questions, concerns, critiques?

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Emma shivered in arousal and humiliation. "I don't remember." She stammered. Regina pulled her up and tugged her into the bedroom roughly. The blonde heard the brunette snap her fingers and found herself disrobed and pushed onto the bed unceremoniously. "Hey-" she began but her protest was cut off when she noticed Regina's fingers undoing her own buttons and then shimmying out of her skirt until she stood clad only in lace underwear and pumps.  
"Oh, but I think you do. You mentioned that the Queen smelled oversexed and that I smelled…" she grinned widely and approached the bed. Regina straddled the woman's hips and pinned her wrists above her head. "Like what, Emma? How do I smell?"

"Like apples." The blonde whispered as the woman pinched her own nipple through her bra and wiggled her hips seductively against the blonde.

"Mmm…what else?" she whispered and trailed fingers down her own olive skin to nestle under the black lace of her undies.

"And magic." Emma was mesmerized by the hand in Regina's panties. She couldn't see exactly what was going on but she didn't need to.

Regina shifted and the blonde felt a rush of warm wetness contact her abdomen where Regina was sitting. The brunette was rocking back and forth gently and rubbing her lace-clad center on Emma's firm stomach. The blonde arched up and Regina smirked as her hand continued to move.

The blonde groaned and struggled against her captor. But Regina held firm and pushed her wrists down into the mattress as she continued to pleasure herself. Emma growled and elicited a chuckle from the woman hovering over her. "Something wrong, Miss Swan?"

"Damn it Regina, don't tease me." The blonde panted while trying to hide her uneven breathing. "I didn't tease you."

"Simply because you are amateur doesn't mean that I must perform on your level."

Emma growled again. "I would just prefer that you _perform_ on me rather than yourself." The blonde said, struggling more desperately beneath her but Regina simply smirked as she had the advantage of leverage above the woman.

"But last time you seemed so determine that I do all the work. I was simply trying to accommodate your obvious inexperience." The brunette pulled her undies down in time for Emma to watch her sink two fingers into her own folds.

The blonde moaned quietly to see the digits disappearing into the wet flesh. "I did all the work in my dream too. I didn't hear you complaining either time." She bit back in frustration as the brunette continued to pleasure herself and a flush crept up her tanned skin.

"All the more reason for you to sit back and relax, Sheriff." Regina smirked but she was slightly breathless. The combination of the wriggling woman below her as well as the deft and knowing fingers in her own heat were quickly bringing her spiraling upward to the coveted release she sought.

"If you think I'm just going to lay here and-"

"But that's precisely what you will do." The brunette chuckled wickedly as her fingers continued and she rocked against Emma. "Your punishment is to sit and watch." She arched her back and Emma's mouth watered to see her nipples puckering the lace of her bra. She felt goosebumps crawl up her own arms and wetness creeping between her closed thighs. She shifted her hips a bit, rolling upward into the brunette's heat. Regina closed her eyes and hissed slightly before leaning over her to press her wrists harder into the mattress. "Lie still." She said.

"Nope."

"I command that you lie still and take your punishment."

"I don't think I will." Emma said and rolled her hips again causing the woman above her to moan quietly and rock forward. "You like it when I fight you."

"That is not true. I like it when you do as you are told."

"But I never do as I'm told." Emma smirked and lifted her hips again, rolling her body seductively. "The Evil Queen couldn't tame me and neither can you." She smirked and Regina growled. She lunged forward and caught the woman's bottom lip between her teeth. Emma gasped as she clamped down and sucked.

The blonde could now feel Regina's hand between their bodies; plunging into her own heat as she thrust her hips forward into her own, open palm. The sensation was driving the blonde wild. The brunette's strong teeth tugged at her bottom lip as she pushed herself higher.

"Oh god." Emma moaned quietly. The woman relinquished her lip and sat back before sticking her unoccupied fingers into the blonde's mouth. Emma licked and sucked them eagerly, looking up from under her lashes at the dark woman astride her. "Regina, please come."

"Mmm." The brunette bucked harder and relished the feel of Emma's tongue between her fingers. She rose up on her knees and dragged Emma down the bed. The silk slung about her narrow waist disappeared and the brunette rotated so that she was facing the blonde's feet. She wrenched the woman's legs apart and pushed three sudden fingers inside the of her.

Emma cried out in surprise and arousal. The force and the possession the older woman showed nearly undid her. Coupled with the reality of Regina's hot sex, rising above the blonde, Emma was nearly ready for release. She bucked into the woman's hands and eagerly received the pleasure the fingers were administering. Regina lowered her flesh to Emma's awaiting mouth and moaned when a deft tongue wriggled up to fill her.

Emma whimpered as the hands at her sex flicked and rolled her clit then alternated to pump her flesh. The blonde brought her hands up to grab Regina's ass as she widened her own legs to accommodate the brunette's dipped head. She felt a strong tongue on her clit and the lean fingers filling her again. In desperation, she latched onto Regina's clit and pulled it into her mouth with force. The brunette cried out in passion and encouragement at the delicious violence.

The women rocked against one another; taking and receiving in equal portion until Emma felt Regina's muscles stiffen. The woman cried out and came, bucking against the blonde's face; riding out the last wave of her orgasm on Emma's open mouth. The experience of Regina's desperate bucking sent Emma, herself over the edge. She clamped her muscles around the digits of the brunette and raised her hips to pump against the hard tongue on her clit.

Whimpering and thrashing under the still recovering brunette, Emma collapsed underneath her; exhausted and spent. Regina lifted her body and moved to lie beside her. She stroked down the body of the still panting blonde and smiled up at her lazily. Emma looked down to find the open, tender expression on the brunette's face and her heart skipped a beat.

Regina must have realized the expression she wore because she knit her brows and attempted to turn away. But Emma was too quick. She grabbed the smaller woman and pulled her close; wrapping a leg around her hip.

"Miss Swan-"

"Shush. I want to cuddle."

Regina rolled her eyes but felt her heart leap. "If you must." They lay quietly together for a few minutes, Regina relaxed her head on Emma's arm and her breath was feathering across the blonde's collar bone. Emma began to chuckle and pressed an affectionate kiss to Regina's forehead. The brunette looked up. "What was that for?"

"Just remembering something we talked about."

"What?"

"Remember in your office, after I-"

"Yes, I remember." The woman huffed slightly, still somewhat embarrassed by the wanton way in which she had behaved.

"Well, I told you that you couldn't just knock on my door and ask for sex remember?"

A smile lit Regina's face. "Yes and I said that we would see about that." She answered and chuckled throatily herself. "It seems that I was right after all."

"Yes, but that's not the funny part."

Regina lifted her head and looked at the woman. "Then what is the funny part, dear?"

"That you didn't really ask, that I didn't expect you to, and that it wouldn't have mattered either way."

"How is that?"

"Because I would have given you what you wanted anyway about it."

The brunette considered her seriously. "Why?" she asked quietly.

"Because I wanted to."

"But why?" Regina asked again.

Emma hesitated. She had only seen such sincerity in the brunette's eyes very rarely. "Because I care for you."

Regina tried to pull back but Emma stopped her. "I think you are confused."

"No. I'm not. And you care for me too. Can't we give this a shot?"

Regina closed her eyes and lowered her head. She was quiet so long that Emma thought she had fallen asleep. "I don't know how to do _this_."

"The same way we have been doing it. We're not exactly normal, either of us. I don't expect any relationship we have to be normal. But can we at least give it a chance?"

Again, the brunette was silent but when she finally looked up into the green eyes of her lover, she had tears in her own. "A chance. Yes, we can try."

"Trying is all I'm asking for." Emma said gently and stroked down her hair. Then she frowned, "Oh, and sex. Lots and lots of hot magic sex."

Regina lifted up and kissed her squarely on the mouth. "That, is a given." She rolled her over and made good on her statement.


End file.
